Speak of The Devil: The Birthright
by iAmPRIDEful
Summary: Eternally Damned... And destined to become a "monster". Kazuma is on the path of becoming that which most fear, including himself. And when his time comes, he will no longer be "human", and neither will he be a "demon"...
1. The Prologue

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro. I do not own YYH, nor do I own the characters. And no, I do not make any money off of writing this fiction.

**Author's Note:**

I was inspired to make this story, actually. What's to blame? Kuwabara's image song "DACHI". Yes, if you have not heard or read the lyrics, you should. It's very sad. Such a sad song for such an awesome yet misunderstood guy such as himself. It truly gives you a deeper look into his character, like seeing him in the mirror staring right back at you. Yes, I know. Creepy. But it's a must see, hear, and read. So, please check it out.

This is not a chapter, by the way, but a prologue as to show what has happened since everything we know has come to an end. It's post-series, post-manga, too, since I mix my stuff up when it comes to picking either one.

So, please, I hope you enjoy it and I hope you comment. This story is for any true Kuwabara fan out there. This all goes out to you!

By the way, I came up with the name so far by knowing what Kazuma's name means. It means "peace and truth", "true harmony" and also "peace and true reality".

**Pairings:** (so far) YusukexKurama [with mentionings of YusukexHieixKurama], YusukexKeiko (sort of, mostly mentionings), ShizuruxKeiko [hints], MukuroxYukina, Botan/Koenma [hints], HieixBotan (later in the story), Reficul(OC)xKuwabara, SensuixItsuki, [SensuixKuwabara (hints), Hiei/Kuwabara (hints)]

**Rating:** Rated R/M

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**BETWEEN PEACE AND TRUE REALITY**

**The Prologue **

**By The Grimster**

_Kuwabara Kazuma hated his life. _

_No, correction, he despised it. _

_It wasn't so much that he felt so ardently towards life in such a way all together, no. _

_He had enjoyed many things, things in which no one took any consideration or the time to know that he did._

_However, mark this in your notes: He didn't care too much for the mundane, the same old humdrum that the average everyday human looked forward to. He was a fighter and a sworn protector of the innocent, nevertheless. In the inner machinations of his mind, there lied an honor code that he devotedly abided to. To most if not by all, he didn't seem all that complicated at all. In fact, people took the liberty of degrading him by placing him at the bottom of the totem pole, stating that he was perhaps the dullest crayon in the box, let alone the least powerful of his team. _

_Like any normal human, he enjoyed the splendors that life provided; materialistic pleasures like playing games at the arcade and listening to Megallica, along with other various types of rock and roll. He enjoyed spending time with his normal gang of human friends, fighting and defending his territory, and of course his beloved cat Eikichi. _

_Well, that was all in the past, gone but not all together buried, unlike his beloved feline companion who finally passed away from obtaining a sickness that could not be helped. His friends had all moved on; he no longer even had his old gang for all three had met a foul end. People whom he came to love and care for now lived their own lives. _

_Yusuke was married now to Keiko and already were expecting their first bundle of joy in less than a month's time. Then again, maybe they already had it, he didn't know. He had lost the track of time with that one, but he did know about them having opened up their own family restaurant. Hiei had long since gone back to demon world, living his life in total freedom to do now whatever he pleased, including coming back and forth from demon world and human world. As for the very girl he loved, well, as much as it pained him, he knew that in the end it was never meant to be. He may be a bit slow, but he is far from being mentally challenged. Yukina wounded up falling in love with Kurama instead, so he had come to believe, and the two had developed a strong bond with one another, something he dared not try to break. They were happy together and that is what mattered most, despite his ever breaking heart. _

_Although, any genius could tell you that he was a hopeless romantic at heart, you needn't investigate into his privacy to see if you could find one shred of evidence of it. He had hope for love, but it was dwindling. Slowly but surely, all hope for himself was dissipating, soon to leave him as nothing more than an empty shell left to burn and turn into ashes. _

_Time itself seemed unobtainable, the world around him passing like fast moving lights, colorful but not all that promising. _

_Ever since he was forced to remove himself from his old home, he now spent most of his days wandering with no real place to go but his quiet apartment he that he was renting. He had long since moved to another city, a more major city that was at least three times the size of where he originally came from, particularly after deciding to attend another college instead of the one that he once was aiming for. He no longer desired to persue that dream of becoming a scientist, and in any case, that was once his plan to use in hopes of achieving the love of his longest and withstanding crush. Now it was just pointless and inevitably a fruitless effort. _

_Despite his stubborn will and determination, Kazuma knew he had been beat. _

_Kuwabara did not know why so many people hated him, they just did, both that of humans and demons alike. Of course, there were the fans, but there were too few and in between that admired him for his abilities. Hatred for him had always been a prominent factor that played in his life, especially as now._

_Speaking of abilities, it seemed his powers were no longer at a stand still, now ever increasing, perhaps even ten folds. He didn't know why, but instead of just having an unnerving tingling feeling whenever spirits are around, much to his discontent he was now able to see and hear them. Hell, he could even communicate with them! And that wasn't the worst of it, now he was finding himself in an even greater pickle, having dreams and nightmares that turn into predictions. _

_Even more, he now also could not only see the strings of destiny upon the fingers of each and every individual, now he was able to even read a person's soul, which made it difficult to really get to know people having already know what lies in the very hearts and product of their very souls. He intended to avoid looking people straight dead in the eyes, because there was where he saw it, the gateway that lead into their minds. Besides, it was already bad enough as it is with having to see their auras, such a gift made him more leery of every person whom he happened to take a simple glance at. He also swore he that he could sometimes see numbers above their heads, ticking away, all to which becoming a much lesser number. _

_Moreover, he seemed to be having difficulty sleeping at night, and not just because of the dreams or the spirits that came to visit him either. No. Now he seemed to be waking up to reoccurring tremors in his very own bedroom, by what he had no earthly clue as to explain such a phenomenon as that. And it didn't just happened while he slept, either, it seemed to happen whenever certain emotions became stronger. Like anger for instance, it seemed whatever he was concentrating it on at the very moment, like his books for an example, such objects would either fall or be thrown across the room by some unknown force. He thought like any normal person in such situations, that these were either coincidence or someone was playing tricks with him, perhaps the spirits he attracted into his apartment. Either way, he was at a loss as to explain any of this. _

_Life was a continuous struggle, if anything that is what he had learned up until now. Besides having to deal with his own personal growth, his changes, both school and work, he also still dealt with demons. And not just demons, but also evil men who were just as bad if not any worse than the sprites who ravage the innocent for their meat on their bones. He came to learn quickly that after all, humans and demons were not at all much different from each other, especially when it came to committing the seven most deadliest of sins known to all kind. _

_That's why he finally came to a decision that life was not going to get any better from this point, at least not for him. _

_To make matters worse, he was now all alone in this. _

_His friends and ex-teammates, having moved on to live on with their lives, had all lost contact with him. Well, that's putting it more nicely, to be perfectly honest. In all truth, it was them that chose to no longer remain in touch with him. Not a letter nor a simple phone call, not even a visit even for old times sake, it seemed they had all forgotten all about him, not much less caring if they did. At least that was what he saw from his own perspective of the matter. In time, he was fading away from their minds and perhaps even in the photographs that were taken of him when they were together. It hurt, deeply, because in the end of it all it just proved how worthless he was to them, how he was nothing more than a spare wheel tugging along their adventures. He once thought that they were his friends, but he was sadly mistaken. _

_Hell, if that wasn't the shit end of the stick, his own family, his own flesh and blood, had not even talked to him...at least not genuinely face to face. Of course his bossy sister had been worried about him since the moment he left, as sick as it sound since she insisted that he moved out and live a life of his own. He could roll his eyes about how she proclaimed with much joy about how he was leaving, announcing it as if it was the greatest news and development that have ever managed to take place in all of existence. He could another time, also, for when she bitched about how she was sick and tired of keeping an eye on him. Not that he ever asked her to, to begin with. And all of the more sickening was the fact that she had the unmitigated gall to call and tell him about how the others and her were celebrating his absence from their lives. Such pain can never be erased, ever. _

_At least his mother seemed hesitant upon his leaving, as if she wanted to say something but could not. As for his father, much to his surprise, the bastard seemed as if he could not be any happier. He often wondered if that man was even his father, especially since he didn't look a thing like him. He had his suspicions, but never questioned about it. Whoever his real father was, if he wasn't related to the one he came to know, was perhaps not even worth getting to know, especially not after the man abandoned his mother with having to deal with having given birth to him and then turn around to raise him. _

_Yeah, some life he has. At any rate, Shizuru was kind enough to sometimes keep him in the loop of things, he'd give her that much. Emphasis on "sometimes". And oddly enough, so did Atsuko, Urameshi's mother. Of course, every time she called him she was in a drunken stupor, wondering when he was coming back so that "lonely people such as ourselves could party and hang out" during the late hours of the night. How she got his number, he'd never know. Possibly Shizuru as a joke, that or she had somehow stumbled across the number that perhaps Yusuke had decidedly left behind in her apartment. In any case, he'd simply tell her that it was late, that she should just go to sleep and hung up. That woman was certainly on something and it wasn't just booze. _

_As for his educational and career pursuits, he was now working his way into obtaining a degree in justice, wanting to become a detective in hopes of shaping the world into a better place in his own sort of way. Perhaps this was an effort to make up for the role he always wanted to have amongst being with his teammates all those years ago, make that going on five years really. _

_As for a job, he had signed up in the police academy, now serving as a police officer and enforcing the law. Being a law enforcer was a full time job, however, so he attended a university as a part time student. This is what he did to ensure the protection of everyone who was innocent, for the sake of it all in the name of honor itself. _

_This was who he was. Not a doctor, not a beautician, not a wanderer without a cause, nor a restaurant owner, and neither a brilliant mind that attended science clubs after class, he was a sworn defender through and through. Either for pay or for free, he'd do it all the same._

"Are you sure, My King, that this is the one you want?"

"Yes, he is perfect for the job." A deep and rumbling voice answered. "After all, if you have gone over the files and videos as much as I have, you can clearly see as to why he is."

"Yes, My King, but his family heritage is not all quite clear. We know everything about his mother and that she came from a long line of powerful psychics and temple keepers. But as for his biological father, we know nothing about. How do we even possibly know he's not got the blood of a demon's? After all, he did manage to open up the barrier, despite Lord Koenma's claims of being completely human."

"Then it will be of your best interest to deal with that endeavor and find out." Came the answer in a domineering tone. "And as for him, retrieve him and bring him here to spirit world."

"But sir… I apologize for these questions, but what if he is not willing? What if he doesn't want to play the part that you intend him to give him?"

"He will. And if he doesn't, then he will pay for the consequences of his actions. Now, enough with the questions. You know what you must do."

"Yes, King Enma. As you wish."

**...To Be Continued…**

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Okay, I know it seems choppy, but this is the prologue. I wanted to give you guys some background information about Kuwa and what has happened before ending it with a bit of a twister. Why was most of the written dialogue in italics? Chances are, if you can figure it out, they've been watching him. Keeping tabs about what he has been doing.

Makes you wonder what these people do in their spare time up there.

And what of this job, this role King Enma has instored for him? What is it exactly?

All this and more can be answered in the future.

Please review and feel free to comment. Your comments and reviews help fuel the fire to my creativity. They are greatly needed and very much appreciated.


	2. The Prelude

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuYu Hakusho. I wish I did.

**Author's Note:**

Okay, so that you know and that there won't be much confusion. This story takes place after everything else, that also goes for the OVA. Enki, the demon, actually holds tournaments for fun, like every year, but there is that one every four or more years that's for elective purposes. He loves to fight. So, at least once, Kazuma did go back to Makai with the guys to participate. This happened before Yusuke and Keiko got married, of course. And then everything seemed to change from there on.

I hope that clears something up.

As for this chapter. It's a prelude. It's a story before the story, something important that's needed to be known before the actual story begins.

This chapter gives a little bit of insight about his childhood, especially when he was really young.

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**THE PRELUDE:**

**THE FORGOTTEN**

**Written by The Grimster**

[17 YEARS AGO…]

"Honey, are you sure we should still keep him locked up in his room like that?"

A brunet haired man looked up from his tea cup to gaze over at the caramel haired woman sitting across from him. They had been sitting there for a period of time in complete silence.

They were currently in their mid to later twenties and appeared as if they were both from that of an average family, the father being the most normal of the two. He was a contractor, a very hard worker for he was into engineering for the government, and most of all was brought up to be a very religious and studious man. As young as he was, his hands had long since been calloused by the strenuous hands on work, providing evidence that he was far from being that of lackadaisical, or laidback for that matter. Largely, he was a stern man, and in spite of whom he chose to wed, he wanted life and everything in it to be perfectly conventional.

As for the woman herself, she was not quite the opposite, though by far she was more lax than him, especially when it came to standards. Like him, she, too, came from a religious family. In fact, most of her family members were that of priests, monks, priestesses, nuns, shamans, and temple keepers. It had been that way dating far back since almost the very beginning of her family heritage, as well as also having members in her blood that were psychics. It came to no wonder that she, herself, had been gifted with special abilities, like having strong extrasensory perception, and would have even ended up as a priestess if not having met the man whom she made a home and a family of their own with.

The man was silent for a moment as he rubbed his temples in disgruntlement, having received this question time and time again from her. He placed his teacup down upon the wooden table that stood between them, serving itself as some sort of symbolic boarder that kept them separated on opposing sides. "What else are we to do? You know now what he's capable of." He finally answered rather agitatedly, all the while mentally scolding himself for not furtively putting more Saki into his warm beverage. He was honestly receiving a major headache from all of this. Actually, he used to not even drink, that is until he found out that his wife had fornicated while he was away on important business, which not only gave them another mouth to feed, but also over a bundle load of problems and dismay.

"Yes, but…" She began to argue back, pausing for a moment, speculating if she should hold her tongue and let the subject drop. However, out of deep concern over the situation and that of her son, she decided not to and went on with it. "It's not good for a child, especially for a boy at his age. He's barely seven, Masato."

Not liking where this was going, he growled and gave her a admonishing glare. "He's not well, Sada. That boy of your's is not well." He rejoined defensively, brusquely chiding her for her imprudence. "He's a freak, that's what he is. Those powers of his are inhuman."

Sada merely frowned at him, not really appreciating what he had said about the boy and neither his tone of voice. "Why must you talk of him that way? I thought you were past the fact that he isn't your son."

He looked away from her, not being able to look her in the eyes as he sighed. "Yes, I know." He said a bit reluctantly, his tone of voice revealing the truth of that factor. He then turned his gaze back to her, sienna eyes connecting with those of dark mahogany. "But Imagine what he could do to others, Sada. To our daughter, to us… He already frightened away the neighbor's kid and even tried to do something to my head. And the neighbors are starting to get mighty suspicious, possibly wondering if we're part of some sort of an occult. He can't come out until he's well again. He can't be trusted. I've made my decision and you can't change that." He then retrieved his teacup and then gingerly drank from it, the drink much cooler now much to his disliking. His eyes rolled back and forth, shifting side to side before muttering under his breath to no one in particular; "He must pay for his transgressions. The little misfit is possessed, I swear."

She had full well heard exactly what he had said, but in order to avoid any major disputes, she twisted her words just a smidge as to sound less disagreeable. "That doesn't give you any reason as to why you have to beat it into him. He is but a child and doesn't yet understand. He'll conform eventually. He both respects and loves you, you know that."

Masato remained quiet, having nothing more to say to her.

Sada sighed quietly to herself, fearing the worst that the man believed that the child had brought dishonor to their family. And it was true, he did believe that, she knew it and that pained her so. But how is a common man such a Masato supposed to understand such things as these when all he was is a normal human being with little to no intuition? It was inconceivable, even if he put effort into trying to, he just could not grasp it.

Just then, when the tension in the house was about to get a little bit heavier, the doorbell rang. After hearing the peal tune, Sada's face immediately brightened. She wasted no time, promptly answering the door with much vivaciousness, sensing exactly who it was that stood at their front door.

Seeing her eagerness, her husband watched her as she made her way in a hastened pace. "Who is it?" He inquired, curious.

Sada slowed her pace down a bit, glanced back at him, grinning. "It's them! They're here!"

"Oh." was Masato's response, not entirely as enthusiastic as she was. "Well, hopefully they can fix the problem."

Sada gave him a scowling look before making it to the door, then straightened herself up before opening it.

"Good evening, child." came an voice eroded with age.

There stood at the door was an elderly man, a middle aged man, and a woman. Normally they would wear their traditional sanctified garments in cases like this; the eldest his priestly robes, the man was once that of a monk, and the woman a certified priestess. However, this one was an exception, first and particularly because they did not want any rising suspicions in the family's neighborhood, because frankly there was enough as there were, and secondly, Sada was their own flesh and blood and descended from their very own sacred clan of people.

The middle aged man smiled upon Sada, opening his arms for a much welcomed embrace. "Sada."

"Father." She said as she stepped out and hugged the man, more than pleased to see him.

The man patted and rubbed her back soothingly. "See, I told you we would come."

"I never doubted you even for a moment, dad." She replied, smiling, and then gradually ended their hold upon each other.

The elder smiled upon her. "It's nice to see you again after all these years, dear one." He greeted with a respectable bow, which Sada gave back in return. He then gestured over to the woman who ventured along with them on this excursion. "I think you can remember Takako from our clan's family reunion back when you were both still young girls."

Takako and Sada bowed respectfully to one another in greeting.

Sada smiled at her. "Yes." She answered. "It's been so long. Nice to see you again, cousin."

"Likewise, Sada." Takako replied with sincerity, her voice as soft as a gentle breeze. "Though I'm particularly here for one reason. We're here to see the child that's special." They were cousins, but more of that of a long distance relation. There were numerous "great"s between them, so a simple one word sufficed.

"Like you, my child, she is a gifted psychic, not only a priestess." The elder continued on, explaining to her as to why she was here. "She's been blessed with the ability to produce wards and psychic seals, even in that of the mind, body, and soul. She can set up barriers, walls that can last for years without having much worry of keeping them up…" He stopped when he saw the look of fear suddenly etched itself across Sada's face. "Don't fret, my child." He assured with a gentle smile. "We will only provide her services if they are truly needed."

Sada sighed and smiled nervously. "I can only hope so, grandfather." She bowed her head to him in respect, then looked at the three of them. "Please do come in, all of you."

They bowed their heads, giving her their gratitude and then came inside as she held open the door for them.

"Where is your husband?" Her father asked finally, wandering out loud as to why it wasn't he who came to the door first.

It wasn't very gentleman-like to let a woman answer the door, after all, it should be the man of the house's duty. Yes, they were very traditional people. They all knew the already, of course, before she could answer. They thought that he would abide by such traditions since the two men met his people and knew about how he was raised.

He then added a moment later; "And where is my granddaughter?"

"He's a bit stressed over the circumstances of the situation." She replied in a bit of distress. "He's is sitting over there in the living room. And as for Shizuru, she's currently staying at her other grandparents' place…at least for the meantime." She gave them an informative look that simply told them why she was there instead of here.

Her father nodded, not inquiring any more information from her. The three of them made their way to greet Masato, that is after they waited for Sada to lead the way.

"Good day, Mr. Kuwabara." The priest greeted and then bowed.

Masato looked over at the man, having snapped out of a daze. He immediately stood and bowed back to them all in means of respect. After they exchanged the proper forms of greeting and addressing each other, they all had a seat, the arrived psychics looking about, sensing out the atmosphere and environment around them.

"So, let's get down to brass tacks, shall we?" The elder began, smiling. It was a rather forced smile more than anything else, especially after having read what had been going on.

Sada's father studied Masato, his eyes filled with consternation, while Takako stared upward, sensing out what was going on above them. Everyone could hear the noise of someone moving around up there. However, to several, though, they hear and sense that something else was going on, and that the boy was not at all alone.

Meanwhile, as the adults discussed over the matters…

A small orange haired boy was playing around inside his room, bouncing a ball back and forth to a young girl across the room. To the average naked eye, there was no one there, but to the basic and untrained psychic it was what one would hold as an apparition. However, if you were that of an experienced psychic, you could sense she was something more. The young boy did, though he did not know what exactly, only that she was extraordinary girl who happened to also be his secret friend and playmate. She was by far no mere spirit, that is, if she was a spirit at all.

"Quick! Get the ball and toss it back over here, Kazuma!" shouted the little girl as the boy went to fetch the red ball that was now rolling across the floor. And he did so quite clumsily, I might add.

"I'm on it!" He shouted back, laughing a bit as he almost tripped over his own foot. "Hang on!"

The girl giggled at the sight. "Kazuma, you silly boy. You're such a clown."

Once he picked up the ball, he laughed nervously, scratching his head a bit as he blushed "Yep. That's me!" He said with a cheesy grin, beaming at her.

Kuwabara Kazuma was a young lad back in this day, he wasn't the smallest boy his age, but he still had so much to grow in order to fill the shoes he would one day discovering himself wearing. He also did not have his pompadour, either, his hair almost straight with a bit of a wave towards the ends, and it spilled over his midnight blue eyes like a personal hood, somewhat concealing them from the rest of the world.

Now, as for the girl. She had long raven hair with a brilliant sheen and her skin a ghostly color, almost pale as white sheets. Her wide set eyes were slightly slanted inward towards her nose, her irises were that of a ruby or blood red, which perfectly fitted upon her round heart shaped face. In all candor, she resembled that of a porcelain doll. Though, extraordinarily, she didn't have human ears, instead they were small yet pointy black ears that sat on the top corners of her head. She did not feel the need to hide those, at least not with him. And she was not a little girl, either, but had chosen to take the form of one.

"Yay!" The girl cheered as she clapped her hands together. "Now, throw it back here! I'm open!" She told him in a bit of demanding tone, yet it was still friendly and filled with excitement.

Kazuma tossed the ball a bit in his hands for a moment, smiling happily. "You know what, Yuki-chan?"

"Huh?" She blinked at him in bewilderment, very much interested in what he had to say.

He beamed, his face shining like the sun as he then declared; "One day, I'm going to marry you!"

She almost fell backward on that one, fortunately, she saved herself from such embarrassment by finding her balance back. She didn't know much about what marriage was, really, only that people seemed to use it as a word for tying the not between them. However, neither did he, for that matter.

"Really now…" She said skeptically, not really taking him all too seriously. At least not right now, she wasn't.

He nodded, not changing his mind on the matter. He was serious. "I swear it. Cross my heart and hope to die!" The boy was determined, though, as if it was a solemn vow.

Her eyes widened when she felt a sudden thud resonate inside of her ribcage, causing her to look downward at the source it came from. More so, she felt her blood also grow hot as it surfaced under the epidermis of her cheeks, making them a nice shade of pink.

The boy was ignorant of such things, she knew that, but never in her life had anyone ever showed such interest in her before...not in a long time, at least.

Sad but true, most if not all people didn't like her. Most, in fact, reviled her if not feared her.

Yes. All but one, however she had been taken from her a long time ago, and now he was the second to perhaps fill in the spot...to cure her of the ghosts of her past.

In fact, he was the very first friend she ever had. She was sure of it, the only one. There was just something different about him, yet he came off to be someone so familiar to her at the same time. It was though fate was finally being kind enough to give her a second chance... Correction, to give THEM a second chance. He just had to be The One whom she had been searching for all these years.

"Well, Kazuma." She began as she touched her heart, more than likely moved by his proposal. A genuine smile formed upon her face as she then looked up at him. "In that case, I'll make ya live up to that!" She told him, only then to turn around to grin very spitefully. "Because if you end up liking another, or even so much as look at someone else, I'm going to bloody hate you forever!"

Kazuma kept smiling on, blushing just as much if not any more than she was.

_"He's such a cute, kid." _She thought as she studied him, smiling to herself. _"Silly, but cute. …But I do wonder how it would be…to have someone finally…to call my own…" _Technically, according to her father's rules, anyone who makes promises or deals with them have the full obligation fulfilling that which they said they'd do. Without knowing it, the boy had pretty much sold himself and had set the plate down for an abnormal future. One day he'd have to eat those words.

"Bloody." She muttered under her breath as she snapped herself back into this time's reality. "Now, come on. Throw the damn ball!" She commanded impatiently, her visage still rosy.

Just as he was about to, he stopped for a moment, his attention now obviously drawn to something else that had caught his interest. The girl merely blinked at first, then scowled in disappointment, not at all appreciating that their playtime had suddenly came to a halt.

"What is it now?" She asked rather irritably, fairly growling as she spoke.

"Wait, Yuki-chan." He said, both listening and feeling out what was going on downstairs. "My mom and dad are speaking to some people down below." He paused for a minute as he continued to listen in, using his mind rather than his ears to tune into the conversation.

"_Can you fix the boy? What can you do to…cure him of his illness?"_

"_Illness? Mr. Kuwabara, I assure you, what he has is no mere sickness. In fact, he's not even sick in the slightest. He's just gifted is all. He's a special boy."_

"_Call it what you want. Just fix it. Put this madness to an end. Do something before he tears the house apart. Or worse, us!" And then a thought wave came into play. 'If you can't, then I know of a place that can.' And in lied a picture of a building, a place that he was once told by his sister that housed the sick. An institute for the mentally disturbed. _

"…My dad's upset at me." He spoke with significant sadness. His father sounded very angry.

"Your dad's an ass." She stated bluntly. She was a completely forward girl with her opinions of things.

Kazuma blinked over at her, causing the girl to scoff and turn red in the face.

"What? It's true!" She informed, insisting that what she said was absolutely valid.

She floated over to the top of the dresser, sat down, placed her hands into her lap, turned head from him and harrumphed. She then glanced back at him, then turned her head to face his direction, all the while her lips curling into an evil grimace that gradually spread across her face, marring her innocent appearance.

"You know, I could take care of him for you…" She drawled out, sending a hint before magically pulling out thread between her fingers. The thread shined line silver and was for the most part almost invisible.

Kazuma's eyes widened at that notion, almost bulging out of his head in trepidation. "No, Yukiko! Don't do that!" In his mind he wished he didn't know what that string could do, but with his powers, he saw pretty much of what it was capable of. Let's just say he saw lots of red, spilling onto anything it could manage to reach.

Yukiko pouted, now petulant, and in a flash she put it away just as she had made it appear. "You're a killjoy, Kazu-kun." She then flashed him a dangerous look, looking as temperamental as a fire dragon. "You know I should, right? After what he's done to you. You know he should pay."

Kazuma frowned and stared downward at his feet, his face now wearing a pained expression as he clenched his fists, trying desperately to control his emotions. If it wasn't for Yukiko healing him, he would honestly still be wearing those god-awful bruises like badges that no one should be proud about. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying hard to fight back the tears. As he did this, the room around them began to tremble, beginning with a shimmer to growing to a definite quake.

Back downstairs…

The adults found their conversation drawing to a close when they began to feel the whole house shudder. They looked up and around, watching the lights as they flickered on and off. The television set as well as other electronic devices suddenly turned, as if some invisible force decided to give them enough life or power. Books toppled off the shelves, the pictures threatening to fall of the walls at any given time as they knocked against the walls, and the chandelier and other household lamps shook like mad.

"See?" Masato exclaimed, feeling justified that he was finally making a point across to them. "This was what I was talking about!"

"Hmm. Maybe it is time we should have a personal talk with the boy." The elder spoke, looking at them all.

Then suddenly, it all came to an abrupt stop. The trembling ceased as well as the flickering, and everything that had turned on was now off. Pretty much, everything had went back to normal.

Sada heaved a weary sigh. "Alright then." She uttered in accordance, then turned her head and called upward towards the direction of the stairway. "Kazuma, could you come down, please?"

It had hardly been half of a minute later when the boy came into view, casually making his way down to them, his hand subconsciously brushing the wooden rails as he did.

Sada smiled over at her son when he joined them and then stood there before them. He was quite an obedient boy, especially to his mama. However, she could sense his nervousness as well as having fear, despite how calm and silent he was.

"May we speak with him privately?" The elder requested of the parents. "Alone?"

The two of them nodded and hesitantly left the living room.

The three remaining smiled over at the boy, and once his parents were surely absent, the elder gestured for the boy to have a seat in one of the now empty chairs. Kazuma bowed his head in respect and hesitantly sat down, not really feeling comfortable that his parents had left him there with people he either never met or could not remember. He stared at the three quietly, reading them and trying to gather up any information he could as to who they are and why they were there.

"_It's rather rude to pry into people's minds without their permission, child."_ Came a chiding yet amiable voice.

Kazuma's eyes widen in alarm, neither of them had audibly uttered a word yet, at least that in a physical sense. He had, in fact, heard the voice speak inside his head. He then found himself eying the one who was responsible, the decrepit man who seemed to be smiling ever so fondly upon him.

"Why are you here?" He inquired curtly, still baffled as to how these people could be strong enough to rebuff his grasp upon their minds, blocking him from any further probing. Nevertheless, he already found enough information to know who they were and where they came from.

"We're here, Kazuma, to help you with your powers." Informed his grandfather. "Your mom and dad are very worried for you. You're so young yet incredibly gifted. We're only here to help you. We're just like you, psychics with endowed extraordinary gifts."

As assuring as it sounded, the ginger haired boy didn't like the sound of that. A part of himself became wary about this "help" they could endow him with. Yes, "endow" was the word. Kazuma knew he didn't fit the category of being defined as "normal", far from it. But what help could they possibly give him, or more like force upon him. He didn't ask for this. So, naturally he became mistrusting of the undertaking.

"Really?" He said cynically, his blue eyes flickering a bit as they then shined like fire within a furnace.

The adults immediately drew their attention towards outside, sensing that something was now happening, and the atmosphere had also suddenly became heavier. They stared, eyes wide and mouths gaping.

Around the whole neighborhood, objects began to elevate off the ground. Cars, kiddy pools, wheel barrows, lawnmowers, water, anything you can think of that wasn't securely bolted down in some way. The objects then halted, now suspending in the air above twelve feet. They remained there for a moment and then dropped immediately back into place. The place itself trembled from the slight impact of it, among other things.

The three of them slowly looked back at the kid, the very cause of such a phenomenon. The boy's eyes had went back to normal, his irises returning to that blue that was almost the color of black. Notwithstanding the appearance of looking back to normal, just like before all of this had ever occurred, they knew he was trying to set up walls in hopes of guarding himself from anything that they could do to him.

"Incredible." Spoke Takako, astonished. "He really is special."

Kazuma continued to ever mindedly watch them, his eyes shifting frantically from one person to another.

"_I don't sense any form of possession, neither the world of hands of anything demonic or evil."_ The middle aged man spoke telepathically to his own father._ "But those powers are unlike any other I've ever sensed before. It could be dangerous, even lethal."_

"_Then we have no other choice than to use Takako's abilities."_ The elder informed just the same, looking at the both of them. The other two nodded in agreement._ "We may not be able to block all of his powers, but at least most it we can."_

"_But what about his memories?"_ The ex-monk questioned, continuing their silent conversation, no doubt worried for his grandson._ "Wouldn't he strain himself enable to try to use them again? He's become quite too familiar with it as it already is."_

"_Then I'll erase them from his mind."_ The priest told both of his two attendants, giving the woman the gist of what the other man had said._ "All of it. So that he can begin a new."_

They ended their private conversation there and addressed the boy, who all the while was becoming more restless in his chair.

"Kazuma, you are indeed a very blessed child to have such abilities as these." His great grandfather told him, hoping to ease him down a bit. "However, such powers can be very dangerous. You could harm someone, like your family for instance."

The six year old's face paled a bit. He had no real intentions of actually harming anyone, especially his loved ones. Had he known that, he would have probably not even used them in the first place. Now, with his powers ever increasing, he felt absolutely helpless to stop it. What could he do, other than allowing outside personal assistance? He bit his bottom lip, wondering now about the possibilities of what could happen with and without their help, now feeling utterly terrified. He was at a quandary on what to do.

**…To Be Continued…**

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And thus ends the prelude. Now, next will be chapter one. And also more surprises will be in stored. I guarantee it!

Please review and feel free to comment. I need it. Kuwa needs it. If not for me, then for him.

Do it for Kuwa!


	3. Book I: Between Peace and True Reality

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuYu Hakusho. I wish I did.

**Author's Note:**

Alright. I took it upon myself to edit the previous posts before this one. Why? Because I decided that it would take longer to get where he is now than two years. Make it five, really. So, he had not seen his friends for almost five years. He's around 24 years old right now. I just wanted to inform you about that. I just hope no one gets confused.

Death101: Thank you for your reviews! I appreciate that you are reading and commenting along as I continue this story. And you are right. That is how Yukina and him fell through. But you know how the red string of fate is, it's ever changing. Nothing stays the same. And I heard that if one does not realize who they are destined with, that string will disappear. I think Yukina, though, always knew Kuwa loved her, it's just she wasn't interested in him. So, it turns out. Poor guy. These things do tend to happen and people can have more than one soul mate, like having more than one person who they can choose to be with in the end.

* * *

**PARADISE LOST **

**Written by The Grimster**

"_**Think not, revolted Spirit, thy shape the same, **__**Or undiminished brightness to be known, As when thou stoodest in Heaven upright and pure; That glory then, when thou no more wast good, Departed from thee; and thou resemblest now thy sin and place of doom obscure and come, for thou, be sure, shalt give account to him who sent us, whose charge is to keepThis place inviolable, and these from harm. **__So spake the Cherub; and his grave rebuke, __**Severe in youthful beauty, added grace invincible: Abashed the Devil stood, and felt how awful goodness is, and saw virtue in her shape how lovely; saw, and pined His loss."**_

_- John Milton; Paradise Lost, Book IV_

**oOo**_  
_

_Ever heard of the saying that "people change over the years"? The very same could be said for Kuwabara, at least when it came to his demeanor and disposition. Not entirely too much, but it would be enough to astound his past friends and previous acquaintances._

_For one, he wasn't so much of that dumb lug that everyone knew, or thought they knew. In truth, what they saw was genuinely a cover up for his true personality, what lied behind that ever smiling mask._

_He remembered those days like it was just yesterday, when he would pretend to be "cool" and try desperately hard to get anyone to like him. As Hiei said over and over many times, he was a "kiss ass", a man who tried too hard to fit in where he obviously did not, and it was a charade he eventually grew to hate, which eventually lead him to who he was today. Quite frankly, he just didn't give a shit anymore. You either liked him or you didn't, and that was the way it was going to be. Besides, what was the point of it anymore? It didn't get him anywhere, but here. Alone, on this road to nowhere. He'd surely have to thank that little shrimp, if it wasn't for what he said, he'd probably still be that oaf that everyone seemed to undermine. For that, he was grateful, if anything else._

_No wonder why his sister used to beat him, to make him gain some sense. That and she pretty much made a hobby out of it while he was growing up._

_Too bad he didn't realize it sooner. Oh, well. You win some, you lose some. All though, he didn't care to win, he just wanted what was right or what he believe was, which was why he threw that layer of himself away, right into the garbage. He was by no means a poseur, not anymore. And if you were to ask him, he'd joke about it, using much cynicism that could be compared to being cut by a knife._

_Furthermore, with a loser personality like that, one couldn't survive a day on the force. He came to learn that through his training. When you are a cop, one could not afford to be soft or lenient. Polite, yes, but not merciful. It was just not happening. He had come across too many dead end punks who would do anything to get ahead in whatever it was they were involved in, either it be robbing banks or mugging an innocent bystander._

_Of course, he wasn't as reckless or thoughtless like Yusuke, since he possessed more common sense, especially when it came to fighting. Nonetheless, he didn't put up with shit anymore, and neither did he allow himself to be ran over. That was the old him, not so much him anymore. Like the mask, he had grown sick of it. In time, he had become more tougher, more resilient, and with each attack upon his life, especially when dealing with that of demons, it was neither fun or games anymore. In fact, thanks to his training in the forces, he learned not only how to handle a gun, but also was taught martial arts. In short, he could fight better than he ever could before, in fact, he could easily stave most if not all of his enemies and was technically a force to be reckoned with. And in his world, it was either beat or be beaten. Yusuke may consider fighting as mere child's play, but not him, not when everything was at stake._

_He became more crude when dealing with the average asshole, too, and anyone else whom he knew deserved derision. He'd be the one to surely deliver it. Without that smiling mask, he appeared more broody in nature, more dark and even at times very solemn. Nevermind you, he still had a certain quality about him, that sense of humor that can only be defined as sheer sarcasm. He saw the irony in things and minded to point them out, just because he could. Call it spite or disdain, whatever, he didn't care. Deep down he was a good person, and if anyone was in any need of help, he was there to fulfill it. Right on the spot. Quick on the double. Also, he could easily switch from being "Mr. Nice Guy" to "Pray that heaven may have mercy upon your soul" in a split of a second._

_His dislike towards wickedness and injustice was becoming stronger, much stronger. He didn't know why, but it was. However, it wasn't a sanctimonious type of feeling, no. He wasn't pious in the slightest. All he knew was that he just couldn't stand it. He could not bare seeing the innocent suffer, especially when in that of the hands of wrong doers._

_Now, as for dealing with demons and other evil spirits, well, he played a bit of a hired priest with that one. In his own spare time and when working with these so called "special cases", he had learned how to deal with them. Believe it or not, many people with such "cases" called for him personally, like requesting a favorite exterminator. He learned his own methods and tools of the trade, gaining a lot more skill in that department. And being that of a psychic helped a lot, more than a lot, actually. He kept most of the information regarding these "cases" to himself, so as to avoid being thought as a complete and utter lunatic. He didn't want to lose his job, after all. He had enough problems with dealing with demons and ghosts on a daily basis. Not only that, but most of these "cases" were that of possession, usually by a demon. He learned quickly that he had the power to drive them out by making physical contact with the possessed and then calling out the possessor. If there was any doubt before that demons hated his guts, there weren't any now._

_His fellow officers joked and defined him as some sort of an anti-hero, a darker version of the American hero commonly known as Super Man. The criminals dubbed him as "The Punisher", because he was so inclined to providing justice to any circumstance where there wasn't any. Hell, some even called him "The Dark Knight", due to his brave acts of chivalry. What was with these people into American comics these days? It hadn't been about a year since he was officially on the force that he was already making a name for himself, whether he wanted it or not._

_Speaking of chivalry, he was quite the suave man when it came to the ladies. A lot of women considered him to be some sort of a Casanova. Oh, sure, a lot of women showed interest in him, but he knew better. Most of those whom he had encountered were interested in one thing… What he had down there. Yeah. Mind you, he was a tall man, reaching the equivalent height of six foot three. He wasn't small in aspect of the way, that also included his equipment. Furthermore, they said chivalry is dead. If that claim is true, then he considered himself the living dead. He couldn't count the women who tried to get him drunk in order to bed them, much to their disappointment their efforts were futile. Hell, even some men tried! He was once in love with love itself, but that was just ridiculous. In Japan, especially in this city, there were many freaks and weirdoes. Trust him, he'd know._

_On an inside note: He wasn't willing to sleep with just anyone, that just wasn't him. Either like it or lump it, he'd rather remain a virgin for the rest of his life than to throw it away on someone whom he didn't care for in that sort of way. Or at least that is what he wished he could have done. Sad to say, he had lost his virginity long ago, back when he was in the hands of Sensui and his men. No one ever questioned it. Not even when having seen him in the position and state that he was in, no one ever thought passed the motive of why he had been bounded and gagged like he was, what really went on behind their backs while they were making their way to save the world. He never dreamed of losing his virginity that way, never in his wildest dreams or nightmares. Of course, he kept it a secret from everyone else, feeling utterly ashamed and mortified. He just bottled it up inside, hoping to one day to just forget that it ever happened._

_He gave up that old punk look, about over a year ago. Mostly on the fact that of because he wasn't a street punk anymore looking for a fight, or at least didn't look like one. That whole look was for when he was younger, battling the other losers for turf and protecting his own. He had grown out of that phase, now more mature and into something else. Actually, he traded in his old rockabilly punk look for that of a more steam punk appearance. He dressed more nicely, with a more refined debonair demeanor, topped with a trench coat and about knee high kick ass black biker boots. He even wore a pair of shades to help conceal his eyes from everyone, not liking anyone trying to look into them. The colors of his threads had also darkened over the years. He did not wear as much blue, or white for that matter. Now, he wore more darker shades of rich reds, browns, grays, and even black. A lot of black, in fact. He found most of the colors and attire that he used to wear not fitting for him anymore. He had most certainly changed, and he was far from being that of a mere frat boy._

_And since he signed up to be an undercover cop, he would wear whatever he wanted at all times. He even chose his own ride, which was that of a chopper instead of a car, a two seater just in case. Like I said, he was into more special cases, and was not a traffic cop. He always made sure to carry both his license and badge in his billfold, just so he could pull it out and show you what you were dealing with._

_He had even dropped the old hairstyle he was noted for, the very pompadour his "friends" used to tease him about. He used to spend hours trying to achieve that hairdo, having to curl his hair and then gel and try to get it to stick in that familiar fashion. He had two reason why he got rid of it. One, he didn't have much time these days to tend to his tresses. Two, he didn't need it and neither did he care for it anymore._

_As for his red ginger hair, he allowed it to go about it's natural way. The length of it in the front went past his ears, somewhat parted in the middle so it hugged his face, yet he didn't tend to making his hair all nice and neat-like. No time. Could care less. So, bangs would fall into and manage to hang in his face from time to time. His mane also have a bit of a curl or wave to it, but again, he never minded to straighten it out. As for the back, the hair was shorter, much shorter, enough that it managed to stick up a bit._

_Now, as for the rest of him, his complexion was still considerably pale, as it always has been. His face, though, had softened a bit. His high cheek bones having been sinking in a bit over the course of years of maturing, they weren't as prominent as they once were when he was a teenager, though still there. His uniquely shaped eyes had sunken in, too, causing his eye bridges to cast shadows upon them, which gave him more of a mysterious air. His nose was still pointy, though, and had became a bit more longer. He had a long rather heart shaped face, a dominant chin, and the once noticeable lines under his eyes and near the bridge of his nose had eventually faded away. Turns out that they were from immense stress, that's what the doctor told him. Over all, Kuwabara was a manly man and a bit rugged, especially with having that short stubble of hair growing under his bottom lip and right above his chin._

_As his mother had told him from time and time again, as any mother should do to comfort their child when it came to their self-esteem issues, he was not a pretty boy, he was handsome. There's a big difference between looking girly and that of looking like a man._

_His voice had also changed quite a bit. It did not sound so grating, but it did still sounded hoarse and scratchy, deep yet also darker, and sounded quite distinctive in comparison with most other people's. When he spoke, he sounded more like a rumble, no longer nails on a chalk board or broken glass. It was bound to have happened, of course. After all, he had matured into a man, and since he didn't have any drop of demon in him, it was to be expected._

_So, people change. They go through phases, especially when in the adolescent years. What one learns then, develops the person who they are when they become older. This could be said as being entirely true for Kuwabara. He no longer wore his heart upon his sleeves anymore, having learned from his pain not to do so. However, he did become a more respectable man, especially in the city that he now lived and served in. He spent most of his time either working or studying, having had cast away childish things. Of course, he did drink and smoke and remained listening to rock and roll, particularly that of heavy metal. In fact, being a lover of that type of music, he listened to all sorts of tunes from all over the world, blessed with having the internet to thank for that._

_Time away from the others had indeed changed him, for better or for worse._

_However, like the lyrics to the song "I Don't Care" by Apocalyptica, he just didn't care what anyone thought of it. Quite frankly, his opinion about his past and about the ones he once knew, fitted that song to a capital "T". All he ever was to them, anyway, was a running joke for them. Whether it was true or not, that's how he saw it. And if they ever had the possibility of ever meeting him again, they'd soon learn that he was no longer the type to be pushed around or play part of some sick joke so they could laugh behind his back about it. Yeah, he knew what they did and it stuck with him. At least Hiei and his sister had the decency to say most of it to his face. But it hurt, badly. More than they ever believed it could, since they always thought he'd always bounce right back up, just like he always did. His sister did the things she did in order to make him stronger, but sometimes she'd go too far with it. And Hiei was the type of guy who always spoke the truth, pointing out the facts, whether you'd like to hear them or not._

_But pain was still pain, and it clung onto him like shackles, trying desperately to drag him back as being "The King of Pain", the fool to wear that humiliating crown upon his head. Well, no more. Not for him. So, in the end, he could do the only thing he could think of. He ran away from it, having more of his share of bitterness and heartache. And if he had remained, they would have continued cutting him down, whether they knew it or not. And it wasn't just his "friends" that were responsible, either. In truth, everyone had put some sort of effort, had at least played a tiniest part in it. Overall, it was his father who was the main culprit. He didn't know where to begin with that one. He guessed that for starters, his father had always seen him as being completely worthless and had never liked him. Let's just say for now that Kazuma grew up living a very hollow life and that his mother had eventually came to a decision to divorce that man for a reason. He was eleven at the time, going on twelve. Still didn't keep him out of his life, though, but it was better than having to grow up the rest of his years while personally living with him._

_He had to get away from them… In order to grow… And to learn how to fly._

_So, he did the very thing he never wanted to do, one thing he never imagined himself to ever do, and something he would perhaps hate himself for years to come. He ran away. And there was no turning back either. He made himself a vow to never return there ever again. If anyone wanted to see or hear from him again, mind you, they'd have to be the first ones to make that little effort themselves. …They had yet to do just that._

**oOoOo**_  
_

It was another one of those days again. A day when you think to yourself "nothing could possibly go even more wrong". That was every day.

It was like a daily routine, really.

First it would start by waking up from appalling dreams, then finding out that your whole entire bedroom was shaking, to hearing voices from all around you, and maybe the occasional spirits looking right dead at you whilst you were still in bed. One way to cope with this was, and one word only- coffee.

Like any clean person, he took showers, twice a day at least, as well as consciously attending to other personal hygienic needs. The thing about using the bathroom is that there was rarely ever any privacy, thanks to his ghostly visitors of course. However, the very thing he hated most, though, was the mirror. Oh, how he hated mirrors, despite the fact that he needed them. Mirrors served more of a purpose than most people knew, they were like gateways, revealing other realms, and could also be used as a form of a weapon. Yes, which was why he took the initiative to cover up the ones he had when they were not in use. Awful things they are, they could reveal the truth if you looked in them long enough, at least from where he was standing they did.

He also didn't like closets either. Things liked to hide in them, either to take refuge or to remain unseen. From his experience, a lot of evil spirits chose the closets as their main dwelling place. There were also usually the locations of where portals were formed. Hell, he couldn't count the times of going into some stranger's closet and then finding a gateway to hell itself self inside of it. Evil manifests bests in the darkest of places, as well as the most confined and isolated areas. What better place is there other than the closet? It was the perfect location for evil to hide and also reside in most cases.

Now, after having had his coffee, taken a shower, brushed his teeth, and gotten dressed… There were three main things he had to either do- Work, training, or school. All though sometimes he'd visit the library or visit particular shops, some which were well hidden in the underground, where he purchased his "supplies". Generally, he didn't sleep much.

Today, he would be what he called "on the job".

Well, you could say that. Though he was getting paid for what he was doing, thanks to being paid by salary, it certainly was not enough for what he had to deal with, especially at the moment.

Kazuma found himself in the most sullied part of the city, right inside one of the shabbiest apartment complexes that somehow remained standing along with the many others that happened to fill that region. Make no mistake, this was the poorest part in this maggot metropolis. To him, this whole city was nothing short of a rotting and festering carcass, the very home of the damned. It seemed Hell had centered itself here. The place was infested with demons and other spirits, and everywhere there seemed to be portals into other worlds. How this escaped Spirit World's ever watching eyes, he did not know. The worst of it happened at night, naturally.

Sometime earlier, when he had made his way down the hall, he could already feel the air around him becoming much more dense. He could just feel the vibes pouring out of the apartment residence, like waves pouring in. If you asked him, however, he'd tell you that from his perspective, it looked more like the black smoke of something burning, the black clouds rolling up towards the ceiling and spreading out like a wildfire.

This place was filled with some dark juju and the dim hallways did not make it anymore pleasant, especially with the ever flickering lights. It was too dark for comfort, very unsettling, even to the ignorant, and to make matters even more frightening, all of the ceiling lights were on at full power. Even when he was once outside and coming up on the place, he could feel the presence of evil and knew exactly which room and floor it was coming from.

Now, here he was, standing right at the door.

Kazuma stood at that darkened doorway for a moment's time, not so much studying it, but what lied behind it, feeling it out all the more as to gain some sort of sense of how powerful that this thing might be. What drew his attention the most, though, was the icy air seeping through the cracks of the entrance. It was cold as death, which was a different kind of cold than any of the rest. It gave you that gut wrenching and sickening feeling, like almost having your insides excavated, and the air was so tainted it was hard to breathe.

Whatever it was, it was strong. However, he sensed that this entity had been here for quite some time, building it's strength up. About a month, he could say. And from what he could sense, this entity, this demon, had been feeding off of the residence here. It was pilfering their lives from them, like taking their happiness for one.

He calmly knocked on the door, and then a few seconds later heard someone coming.

"Who is it?" Came a voice from behind the green door; it was covered in both dents and scratches and the paint was slowly corroding off.

"Good day, sir." Spoke Kuwabara. "I heard you needed some _assistance_." He had added a little stress to that last word.

Like almost immediately, the door opened and a middle aged man, well good in his forties, peeked his head outside. He studied Kuwabara for a moment, looking him up and down.

Kuwabara knew already, without having to be psychic, that this man was looking for some sort of clarification or sign as to who he was. So, he pulled out his wallet and showed him.

The man looked at the badge closely, obviously near sighted. He then blinked, looked up at his guest and, with some rapture, exclaimed; "Oh! Good day, officer!"

Before he could even finish that declaration, a loud crash was heard inside, pretty much the sound of breaking glass. The man had turned his head to look back, looking incredibly weary. Judging by his appearance, with those dark circles and bags under his eyes, he hadn't slept in weeks. His hair was also a mess and his clothes not so clean, and he was covered in a brownish gunk that was similar to that of ectoplasm.

"Perhaps it's best I should come in now." Kuwabara advised, pretty much already sensing what was going on here. Not only that, but he dealt with cases like these before, so by now he was well experienced. And like always, the demons felt his presence. They were always belligerent towards him, so they had the bitter tendency to really show their asses about it.

The man nodded and allowed him to come inside, leading the way after he closed the door behind them. Kuwabara followed suit, looking around at the place. It was an utter pigsty, which wasn't at all unexpected. Dirty dishes were everywhere as well as clothes, among other objects. The family that was living here had also been camping in the living room, their makeshift beds or pallets still remained on the floor. He also noticed that the wallpaper on the walls were tarnished, having also scratch marks in various places.

On one of the couches sat part of what was a terrified and broken family, a frightened mother and her two oldest sons. They were holding onto each other, for comfort. The mother was striving hard to be strong for her children, but inevitably had given away to her tears, whist she clung to the other two as if life depended upon on it.

Then finally they came to a bedroom, a small room that obviously belonged to that of a child's. A small child's to be exact. Kuwabara didn't like the sign of that. In fact, rage instantly began to swell up within him. That rage soon turned into hot furry when he finally saw the problem itself.

They stopped and stood in the doorway.

On the bed, there lied confined a child, a little girl no more than nine, strapped down and tied to the metal posts of the bed. The kid was writhing around in her restraints, snarling and hissing. She had scratch marks all over her, where the demon had caused her to claw herself out of inner torment. With his powers, he could see through that girl and see exactly what kind of creature was inside of her. It was twisted and ugly, it's eye's black and hallow, and it's body frail and hapless like the corpse of a once starved individual. It was staring right at him, barring it's sharp yet crooked teeth. Though the demon was quite small, it was not weak.

Kuwabara, after having studied the girl for a moment, said; "What we have here is a parasite demon, the very breed that possesses the weakest of the family."

The man turned to him, eyes wide, his expression aghast.

"They're disgusting creatures, really." Kuwabara continued, looking at the room, seeing the same gunk that was on the man's clothes was also all over the walls and on the floor, too. "They feed off of misery, though, if allowed they are strong enough to bring death to their victims." He turned and looked at the man with a sincere look, though he had his dark shades over his eyes. "You reached me just in the nick of time."

Kuwabara then removed his glasses and put them away, first putting them into a black case and then into his pocket. "I need a large mirror, preferably child sized, and some rope if you have any." He informed and stepped inside of the room.

The older man nodded and went off to retrieve such objects, leaving Kuwabara alone with the child and the demon.

The demon growled at Kuwabara, trying hard to get the body he had claimed to break the restraints, bending the bars a bit in the process. "Kuwabara Kazuma!" The demon spoke threateningly, his croaky and breathless. "You're not welcomed here!"

"Well, neither are you." Kuwabara quipped, not at all phased. "From what I gather, you're the uninvited guest here." He walked over the bed, then projected his spiritual energy to keep the demon from further harming the child.

The demon growled through the child. "You'll pay for this! You'll rue the day, you worthless, cocky son of a bitch!" He caused the girl to spit upon him, sordid and grimy brown gunk landing right in his face.

"Too late for that." Kuwabara muttered as he took his hand and wiped it off of himself.

The demon continued to struggle against the binds, thrashing about wildly, trying to get free in hopes of wanting to strangle him.

Six minutes later, the man returned with a mirror and a wheel of rope. By the looks of it, the man had to run out and purchase them.

Kuwabara turned to him. "Oh, good. While you're here, you can help be tie this mirror above the bed." He said it so casually, like it was no big deal and that it was perhaps the easiest thing in the world to do.

The man paled, however, looking around nervously, dreading to get too close now that he knew what it was. He reluctantly provided his assistance, especially when Kuwabara began to lose a bit of his patience with him, insisting that he can't do it without the man holding the mirror up in place.

Kuwabara took the mirror from the man at first, pulling out a special writing utensil, to which then he drew alchemistic symbols upon it. One way in, no way out. It was one of the many techniques he had learned on his own, particularly by reading up on such things from old books that he had found. After that was done and once everything was set in place, the mirror hanging above about three feet above the little girl, Kuwabara got onto the bed and crawled over, hovering over the now depraved and possessed. The older man stood in the back of the room, his back now against the wall as he watched this.

"I hate you!" The demon screamed. "You'll pay for this, you piece of shit! I'll have my master know precisely what you did and you will pay!" The demon howled and the possessed girl tried to bite him.

"The feeling is quite mutual, bub." Kuwabara replied, placing his hands on the girl's head and looking her in the eyes and straight into the demon's. "And about the latter… Do me a favor, will ya? Lick your master's ass for me when you go back." And with having said that, began delivering the demon out of her.

Mingled screams of both the demon and the child were heard. The screams were so loud that they could be heard down the hallway outside of the apartment. The rest of the family were covering their ears, not wanting to hear it, very much fearful of what was happening. All the while, the child's face began to contort, showing the demon's true appearance.

"How dare you possess a innocent child, you sick little fucker!" Kuwabara yelled in it's face, then successfully pulled out the demon from within and like magic expelled the hideous pint sized beast into the mirror above them.

The child's body relaxed, panting and clearly exhausted. The ailed appearance and scratches upon her body began to fade away little by little. The atmosphere in the place, indeed, became much lighter.

Kuwabara looked upward at the looking glass, seeing the demon screaming inside and try to break and claw it's way out. He immediately got up off the bed and began to carefully untie the mirror, more like producing little spirit blades to cut the rope with. They were so small, these blades, that they were barely noticeable.

After getting the mirror down, he tried to then think of a way to dispose of it. He would tell the man to run out of the room so he could unleash his spirit sword, but the spirit of the demon would remain here if he did. Then he noticed the window, and by a hasty estimation, figured it would be big enough to try fit the mirror through. He was going to break it, one way or another.

"Open up the window for me, will ya? I'm going to dispose of this cursed thing." He requested of the man, who did not hesitate in the least. "Thanks. Much obliged."

As he took the handmade prison with him to the window, the woman and the other children came peeking in to see what was now going on. The mother, now seeing that her child was perfectly back to being normal, dashed over to the little girl's side and began to set her free of the once needed restraints. She cried with joy as she embraced her daughter, sobbing about how grateful she was.

The demon kept screaming at Kuwabara from behind the mirror, wanting out, cursing at him, and producing any verbal attack it could muster up to throw at him.

Kuwabara looked at the demon and addressed it one last time, saying; "Since your lips are better than mine, you can kiss yourself goodbye." It was a snide remark, coupled with a rather crooked grin.

The demon frowned in horror, knowing now what he was going to do to him. As soon as that mirror breaks, he'd no longer have a physical presence in this world or any other. The screams from the demon quickly changed it's tune, no longer that of aggression, but now that of sheer panic and trepidation.

With a bit of squeezing and tilting the mirror to an angle, out the mirror went, hurdling down and crashing into countless shards and pieces. Thankfully, the view down below was that of an empty alley, so no one saw it, or got hurt for that matter.

"Well, that takes care of that." He said as he dusted off his hands and then closed the window.

He then turned around, only to find the whole family now staring at him, mouths open, astonished. The atmosphere was a lot cleaner now, and the cloud of doom and despair had been lifted. Kuwabara took it upon himself to retrieve his sunglasses and put them back on, the lenses were that of a thin and long rectangular shape.

Kuwabara cleared his throat. "Well, you can all go back to living a normal life now."

"Are you an angel?" The young girl questioned, as though mesmerized.

Kuwabara stared at the girl, smiling a bit awkwardly. It wasn't the first time he heard that one before. He blamed it on being either young and curious, or both. "No, I am afraid not, little lady." He informed gently.

The woman smiled and hugged her daughter close. "Forgive her. We tried to get help from so many people, but all of them ran away in the end." She told him and smiled all the more. "How can we ever repay you?"

"Don't need to, ma'am." He replied, bowing his head respectfully. He looked back up and continued; "All I ask for in return, though, is that you keep what happened here to yourself." He gazed around the room for a moment. "And have a priest come bless the place."

And with that, after a job well done, he saluted them, then turned upon the heels of his boots and exited his way out. Once out of the building, he pulled out his "stress reliever", none other than a cigarette, light it, and went about his merry way to his bike.

**…To Be Continued…**

* * *

And now you know what he does.

I often use music to inspire my writing. I am sure a lot of people do.

For Kuwabara, though, the bands "Cold" and "Breaking Benjamin" are the main artists that inspire me, particularly for this story. I also listen to Adema, Linkin Park, even bands like Skillet, and much more. Anything that strikes me as Kuwabara, I am listening to while writing this.

As you can already tell… "I Don't Care" by Apocalyptica was the inspiration for the first half. Now, as for the second half, like the scene transition came into play… The song "Whispers In The Dark" by Skillet played a major part of me writing it.

Anyway…

Please review my crappy story. XD Feel free to comment.


	4. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuYu Hakusho. I wish I did.

**Author's Note:**

Thank you all so very much for your comments! XD Yes, the superhero references are a gas. I laugh at it myself because I am sick like that. Poor man is being compared to other people, like always. Will it ever stop?

And about the others finally coming in… Hmm, I don't know when they will, honestly. But somewhere, they should, right? What do you think their responses will be?

Oh, and so that you know… Kuwabara knows Alchemy. I think you've figured that one out in the previous chapter. And no, I am not modeling this after Constantine, just so you know. It's just with using alchemy, along with having Kuwa's awakening power, you can pretty much do a lot of things; like transmutation.

And by the way, I read up and found out that Japan has public restrooms at the train stations. It's not made up. Nope.

I also posted a link on my profile where I drew a headshot of what he looks like.

**Warning:** This chapter has touch of dark themes. There are hints of rape, among other things like extreme religiosity. I read about how he came from a very religious family, but it was never divulged into.

* * *

**TRAINSPOTTING**

**Written by the Grimster**

_"All flesh is grass, and all the comeliness thereof as the flower of the field."_

_His uncle once told him, his mother's brother, quoting Isaiah 40:6 out of what he called "The Darby Bible"._

_"In every one of us it must be fulfilled that all that is of the flesh in us, seeing it is but as grass, must be withered, and the comeliness thereof must be destroyed. The Spirit of God, like the wind, must pass over the field of our souls, and cause our beauty to be as a fading flower. He must so convince us of sin, and so reveal ourselves to ourselves, that we shall see that the flesh profits nothing; that our fallen nature is corruption itself, and that "they who are in the flesh cannot please God." There must be brought home to us the sentence of death upon our former legal and carnal life, that the incorruptible seed of the word of God, implanted by the Holy Ghost, may be in us, and abide in us for ever."_

_That man was a philosopher and studied religions. He once lived in England and then decidedly came back to Japan. Furthermore, he had converted over to Christianity. He used to visit and teach to him Bible verses._

_**...**  
_

_"You have been judged and found wanting. Be penitent of your vile existence, infernal child. You disgrace both the gods and our ancestors. You brought shame and dishonored me." His father told him time and time again when he was but a child, often striking him down in the process. He always quoted verses from The Bible, like some holy saint turned satanic. "You have nothing. You are nothing. You were not conceived in love… You are a mistake."_

_The older man was inebriated again, his breath reeking of something that smelled so foul._

_Stealing his breath, each blow taking it away from him. His bones fractured, his body aching with need. His skin stung like fire, his back being seared by a combination of leather and metal._

_He looked and beheld his mother's face. So much sorrow in her eyes._

_Why did she just stand there and let it happen?_

_His sister was there, too, but she did nothing as well._

_Why did they let this happen?_

_His heart ached, though he dared not shed a tear. He had to be a man and take it._

_But no religion, no faith on this green earth would ever excuse that asshole for his misdeeds.  
_

_***V***_

_"Kuwabara. The world is filled with an ever consuming hatred. Both humans and demons are on the same pages, living their lives as sinful as possible." Sensui had told him._

_These binds. They hurt. Why did they have to tie them so tightly? They were rubbing his skin raw._

_"They revel in other people's pain, consumed by their own hatred for each other and themselves. It is their true nature. And people do not change, at least in matters concerning with what lies in their hearts. They remain the same as they ever were. Perhaps by a given demonstration, you'd know what I mean."_

_Oh._

_Pain soon after filled his being._

_Broken, his body wracked and trembling. Something was stolen away from him that despite all hope could never return. It had been murdered, but there was no solid evidence of the death of his once unseen friend. He felt so diseased, more now than ever before._

_They told him that he was just like them. He didn't want to hear it. He tried so hard not to._

_"Sensui is an angel, but even angels must repent of their sins. He is a fallen star." Itsuki tried to quell his cries. "You know I'm right, Kuwabara. It's the point he's been trying to make all along. We're all sinners. You and him are not much different."_

_Fear. So much fear. And confusion._

_It reminded him when he was a child._

_"Do not cry over this world and of things the past. For soon, it will all be burned away and made a new. There will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more filth to pilfer this world of it's beauty. Nothing can stop that. I am here to make it immaculate once again, to aide it in becoming the paradise that it once was before man ever existed. This is my calling. And you are the key. That is your destiny."_

_Please… Stop._

_"Angels are the most despised of all creatures. They are only loved for their beauty, as you can see through artistic expression and throughout history, and they are marveled for their enigmatic and often dueled natures. However, that doesn't change the fact, that in actuality, they are despised for their light and continuous purity, despite what wrongs they may commit. That is one reason why they hide in the world, and that the ones that are seen suffer. Because people fear in being judged. And demons despise them because angels are their masters. Help me bring judgment upon the humans and the demons."_

_Sensui, you insane bastard. Why did you have to make so much sense?_

_He didn't want to believe it. He tried hard not to. _

_Humans and demons were the same. It was proven to him time and time again. They all had the same motives, deep down in their inner_ _machinations. The proof was in the pudding._

_****V****_

_Pain. So much pain._

_And a lot of red._

_"Give up, you oaf. She doesn't love you. She never has and nor will she ever. She's not interested in you."_

_The cold. Why so cold?_

_Oh, that's the snow. How did that get there? How did he get out here? He could not remember. Did he walk out here?_

_Garnet connects with his very own pools of black._

_Emptiness._

_Those hands had come down upon him. The world shook and spun around him._

_"You need to wake up, Kuwabara, and see what lies around you. You two are very different from each other and can never be. Stop being such a fool. Give up your efforts and move on. It will never be."_

_Her heart was not with him._

_No one's heart was._

_*****V*****_

_At the heart of everything…_

_Memories. So many memories._

_So unpredictable, they came at their own will._

_Why did they haunt him so?_

_Ever embracing him, like the darkness that surrounded him. So unforgiving. So relentless._

_So very cold are their touches, not one a single gentle caress. Their claws digging into his flesh like ravaging fiends. His mind sent reeling as he writhed. Then it is all filled by the pangs of an ever surmounting emptiness as he lied there bleeding._

_And yet, alas, it doesn't end there. Like flashes of lightning, striking him at every turn. That cloud over his head, hanging over him, stealing away the light from above._

_Blind. He was so very blind._

_He had tried so hard to be like them. So very hard. He wanted to be a part of them, to be a part of their little exclusive group. But he just didn't fit in, no matter how hard he tried to be cool or merely just to be liked. It was all in vain. A fruitless and exasperating effort. He wasn't them. He wasn't part of them. He wasn't what they were._

_They were beautiful. They were strong._

_He was ugly and wretched. He was twisted, tainted, and torn down. He was weak. Furthermore, he was insignificant. So utterly and undeniably worthless, just like the countless attempts made by his behalf._

_They were well loved. He wasn't._

_They were wanted. Not him. He didn't belong anywhere, certainly not with them._

_They lived in a different world than he did. He lived nowhere. He had no real place to call his own. He had no place there with them. He wanted to belong, but he didn't and could not, ever._

_Hiei was right. There was no love. And not just from Yukina, whom he was addressed about forcefully by the shorter man... There was no love from everyone else either._

_It was a prevailing truth. An eye-opener._

_How can he believe in anything anymore? After what he had been through? How can he?_

_When all of the colors had finally faded away? When everything had turned into black?_

_It all subsides into numbness. A feeling of sinking and nothing to keep him breathing. And every dream he once had shattered, broken like frail and irreparable glass._

_He was in shambles._

_His heart and his soul had been broken. He had been staked straight through his very own heart, the very core of his being._

_He had been forsaken._

_For now on, he'd be his own redeemer. No one else. One day, his redemption will draw nigh._

_But where was his tourniquet? Why couldn't he just stop himself from bleeding?_

_Where was his silver lining? He could not see it._

_Why couldn't he reach his soul?_

_Deep down, his inner being was crying… But on the outside, he had nothing more left to shed._

_..._

_Hmm. On another note: He wondered why he liked horror films so much. After all, he had gotten enough awfulness and terror in a lifetime, living it everyday. Hell, he even knew the survival guide like the back of his hand. Was he becoming immune or desensitized? Or was he just as sick as the ones whom plague his life?_

_His life was cumbersome._

**oOo**_  
_

Kuwabara continued about his day, both solving "cases" and fighting for the law. Fighting demons was one thing and protecting the innocent from bad people was another, although they both seemed to play almost on the same track. "Hatred" was their song, it never failed to play a part, one way or another, there was always something that they hated that caused them to commit such crimes. Whether it was towards him or someone or even something else. Whatever. Such a negative sentiment was always there.

…Like his bike for instance, it took a bit of a grunt today. Some loser decided to wreck it, so Kazuma had no choice but to have it towed away to a repair shop. Much to his dismay, his ride will be there for weeks. In the meantime, he'd have to carry on about his work and going to school on foot. Fortunately, the city was endowed with public transportation, having both a metro bus system and the trains that went everywhere about in the city. Of course, there were also cabs, but that was if you were willing to pay a fee for every mile and minute, ticking away on that worrisome meter, and there was also the tipping fee for both the driver and to help him pay for his medallion. In short, it was costly and for him it should only be used in cases of emergencies. The best way for transportation was, quite frankly, the metro system.

In the sea of people, he saw many faces. Combing through the crowds, he saw how people's face were painted with often fake expressions. Looking pass the smiling faces, no one was truly happy to subsist here, but it was as if the city had an unbreakable hold that kept them from leaving this place. Perhaps he, too, fell prey to the cleverly devised ruse, having been ensnared here without truly knowing as to why it was this metropolis he had to come to. This place had a life of it's own, as if cursed by some form of magic.

Amongst the swarms of people, time and time again, Kuwabara found himself laying his eyes upon a certain face. An all too familiar face, the very one that he found haunting him within his dreams. It was rather a bit unsettling, having seen not only someone whom you dreamed about actually existing in the real world, but also finding their gaze always matching up the moment you realize that they are there. "They" as in "she", to be more precise. For years, he had dreamt on and off about her, but now those dreams were becoming more frequent, more mind-boggling yet also consuming.

Why she happened to take interest in him, he did not know. He tried to read her at every given chance, but it seemed as if something would immediately come up or that he was distracted by something, giving her the chance to disappear again as quickly as she appeared. All he had gotten so far from her was "I know you" and "Do you see me? See me now."

She was so inconspicuous to the world around them, no one seemed to notice her but him.

Today he had spotted her in the crowd while he was also having lunch at a café, staring through the window at him.

She wasn't human, he could tell. Not only because of her continuous acts of pulling a Houdini, nor was it her immense and daunting presence...it was her eyes, the major of all giveaways. Such deep pools of red, intense and staggering. As macabre as it may sound, they reminded him oddly of freshly spilt blood, so full of passion and also rage. He swore that hell itself could be found somewhere within them, where the fires never cease to burn and the soul remains unquenched. Torment and misery was found there within her, toiling around inside.

If any name could be given to her, it would probably be "Miss Murder" herself. Though, not just because of her eyes…

Her unbelievably pale skin reminded him of death, possessing a complexion relative to that of a vampire's, the very picture of the ghostly ones that you see in those horror films. Technically, Vampire Hunter D kind of pale. One would think that she'd stick out of the crowd a lot more.

A lot more…

She also had such gorgeous raven hair, incredibly shiny, and looked as if it was made from silk. Her hair was rather short, though, sort of like a boy's hairstyle, only a bit more feminine, longer in the back, bangs styled rather in an Emo fashion, and was flared about with a multitude of layers. She possessed a young baby face, like a china doll. Heart shaped face, petite nose, small forehead, distinctive yet nicely shaped eyebrows, wide set eyes, and full yet delicate rosy lips. As for her body, she was petite, but not short in stature, and yet she had perfectly well rounded ample breasts and kicking curves, and most of all she was lean with muscle.

Overall, she was a very beautiful girl, a sight to behold, but she wasn't completely feminine like most girls. The way that she chose to usually dress spoke for her all the more. She usually wore pants instead of skirts, never dresses, and sometimes wore them both at the same time. She didn't wear high heals or slippers, she wore either boots or sneakers. As for tops, she wore layers of different shirts that were often one to two sizes larger than she needed, but never blouses. In fact, she appeared as though she obtained most of her clothes from the boy's or young men's departments in clothing stores. He had to hand it to her, though, she had a better taste of fashion sense than Urameshi's, choosing eye catching clothes that spoke the language of perhaps being a total rebel rouser. She definitely seemed to look like an anarchist, especially with those dark colors clashing with brighter eye-popping or neon-like ones, totally the picture of a young and deeply troubled teen beyond anything else that's for certain. She just seemed like that type of girl whom you wouldn't want to bring home to your mother.

Just thinking about her, a part of him was reminded of a distant memory, a long and perhaps forgotten past. He couldn't put his finger on as to why exactly he felt as if he knew her, because honestly he didn't.

But still, the question remained…

How in the hell did he get her attention!

At least in the dream she seemed a lot more friendlier, inviting even in some cases. Other times she seemed either worried of fear stricken. In the real world, however, she seemed furious, as if she was angry at everything in the world. She had the most daunting, belligerent, soul piercing stare.

Was she infuriated at him? If so, then what for? What could he have possibly done to provoke her or deserve her unnerving attention? And worse, yet, was she stalking him?

If he wasn't who he was today, he'd feel horribly and undeniably intimidated.

If anything, anything possibly in the whole world… He now knew how Urameshi must have felt years ago when he, Kuwabara, used to… Well, he used to do the same thing, honestly. Mortifying, yes. And not to mention very creepy, too, now that he thought of it. Now, here he was, getting back what he deserved. Oh, karma, you are such a very spiteful individual.

WHAT DID THIS WOMAN WANT FROM HIM?

Food? Water? Shelter? A fight? A hug? Attention? His blood? What?

[He hoped it wasn't his blood. Now that he had been studying and learning alchemy, along side with magick, somehow his own blood was turning into a weapon all on it's own. Don't ask him why. He did not know why this was happening. Perhaps it was because of his family heritage, because as strange as it might sound, his seriously life threatening wounds always had a tendency to heal miraculously. A few of those renowned occasions were that of when the Toguro Brothers had wounded him. No one healed him. His own body healed itself and quite rapidly, too, not even leaving a scar. Speaking of which, he didn't have any physical scars. Now, that's just bizarre.]

He'd just wished she'd tell him, because these guessing games were making his head hurt.

Kuwabara was never the type to lounge around, at least not anymore. Those days were gone. Now, he kept himself busy, even in his spare time. Whether he was at a library checking out or reading books, a café, shopping for something in particular, or simply taking a walk through the park or strolling down the streets. He kept himself occupied. Not that he needed to, he was usually busy, but even sometimes he'd find himself with having nothing to do.

Unfortunately, this day was further proving itself to not be one of those times.

Lucky him, this day couldn't get any better. After all, today had been a very busy and exhausting day, more emotionally draining than physically.

So, you already know about his bike getting destroyed today, right? And that he now had to truck it on either by foot or by public transportation?

Damn blasted kid decided to reap vengeance upon his ride, using a crowbar to bang it up while he hoped the owner wasn't looking. That tyrant. Information for those who don't know: Motorcycles aren't cheap, especially his which was custom designed. Now, imagine how his heart felt when he saw that happening. Serves that punk right to run from the crime scene for committing extreme acts of vandalism, though, too bad he didn't get too far. The only good news was that he didn't have to pay for the damage that was caused, instead it was coming out of someone else's pocket. The young teenager actually came from an affluent family, though was speaking out through acts of violence. The parents were humiliated by their son's actions and were the ones who offered to pay for it as long as the boy didn't end up in jail. Kids these days. Seriously. What is with them hating the police anyways?

Anyway, it's getting really late. It's nighttime now and closing into eleven o'clock. Kuwabara figured that by now was a good time that he should be heading back home to his apartment. And since he was on the far side of the city, the best choice of getting there was by train.

One of the greatest benefits of being a police officer was that one could ride the public transportation for free, all he needed to do was show his badge and identification and he could go anywhere without having to pay a single penny for it. But mind you, he wasn't in it for the perks, like free food and such.

On his way there, Kuwabara knew that he had been followed.

Being that it was now after a quarter after eleven, the stations weren't so crowded. In fact, most normal people made it an effort to get back home safely before that time. From now on until about four thirty in the morning, this was the hour when all the kooks, creeps, and freaks came out to play. The only ones who unfortunately remained on the street, sadly, were the homeless and the subways and trains were their usual hothouses. Some even camped out in the public restrooms at night, though usually the women did that.

So, there were still innocent bystanders, and when these losers finally choose to step out and reveal themselves, he'll give them what's coming to them. Take it up on him, shit will certainly hit the fan. For now, he kept watching them, not with his eyes, but his ears and psychic senses. And it was also those senses that alerted him that there was both a mix of human and demonic energy, that the gang that was following him were being controlled by another force. His best bet was Makai insects, the reason why was because of the demonic energies were a bit too low to be anything else and that there was more than one.

After reaching his designated terminal, he stood there waiting. As figured, there weren't many people out and about traveling, only a few people were either standing on the platform or sitting down. Most, if not all, were half asleep.

"I know you're there." Kuwabara spoke out, losing a bit of his patience with this little game of their's. "Show yourselves, if you know what's good for you."

From behind a crook and out of the darkest region, out stepped gang of four, knives and other weapons ready.

Who on earth designed public places with corners that could be used as advantageous hiding places?

The men appeared shady, eyes dark and empty, and one of them, supposedly the leader, possessed an ominous glow about him. It was a familiar energy, something he knew he had sensed before, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Not yet, at least. Why he didn't sense that earlier, his best guess was that the main demon must have been trying to conceal it from him. Oh, well, he'd figure it out eventually, or, if the demon was dumb enough, reveal it to him in time.

Conversely, though, that is not what really caught his attention, causing him to stare at them so peculiarly. It was their wardrobe and entire getup. They were all in black hooded robes and cloaks, their faces painted in order to help conceal their identities. It was like Halloween had arrived and that somehow he didn't know about it.

Leave it to demons to possess fanatical cult associates. This was going to prove to be one hell of a night.

Kuwabara smirked and threw a remark; "So, it's true. The freaks do come out late at night." He watched them from the side of his eye as they sauntered on over.

"It's time to feel pain, you fool." The leader spoke somewhat eloquently, giving much affectation with the bowie knife in his leather gloved hands. "Pain like you've never experienced before."

Kuwabara snorted at that one and tried hard not laugh. "Like I haven't heard that one." He rolled his eyes and turned to them. "Can't you be more original?"

The leader's goons groaned and moaned, all the while spittle nauseatingly oozing from their gaping mouths. They were like zombies. Okay, it was obvious now that these three were possessed by demon bugs, but the leader? No. Something was definitely up with that one. Obviously.

"What? Have you got nothing else better to say?" He quipped, though he was not really all that amused by any of it. Far from it, actually.

The members let out profound growls and snarls, gnashing their teeth maliciously at him, drawing in closer while the leader halted and remained back. They were preparing to launch themselves at him at any given moment.

"Sorry, I guess I was expecting too much from a bunch of gimpy legged freaks such as yourselves." Kuwabara commented sardonically. And then, like an internal click, he switched to becoming serious with the matter, now containing a grim-faced expression. "What did you do? Sell yourselves for power? Is this how you get off, leading yourselves to harm other people for fun? You are nothing but trash." Of course, he was addressing the humans themselves, at least for the most part he was. "You sicken me. And you shouldn't have come here, because it will be you who will end up hurting."

The possessed drones sneered at him, eyes glowing like red hot car cigarette liters. Okay, he ruled out it being Makai insects now. This was wholly mind control. That would explain why he didn't see any nasty little critters on or inside of them.

"Attack!" Ordered the leader, like some melodramatic nefarious stooge.

At least that is what it sounded like to Kuwabara. He really needed to lay off of television.

**…To Be Continued…**

* * *

Oh, boy. What a chapter. I decided to stop it right here and continue it in the next chapter.

This chapter stunk. The memories were choppy for a reason. They are pretty much broken, like in fragments. I had written it like that on purpose. The italic words in this chapter are sort of like having a look into his mind.

Please review and comment.


	5. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuYu Hakusho. I wish I did.

**Author's Note:**

Here's the next chapter. I'd like to thank those who have been reading and also the ones who have been reviewing and such. It means a lot to me and keeps me going, knowing that someone is interested in the story.

D101 and Dark: Hmm. It seems you two have already figured out who it is. I can't lie about it, it's so obvious. And yes, I can't blame her for being angry, either. Imagine having to watch someone who promised to be with you forever falling for another girl and such. Not fun.

The song "Demons" by Brian McFadden, listen to it, it reminds me of Yuki and Kuwa.

And please note: Kuwabara did have a means of being contacted. He had a cell phone, which contained a number.

And we all know Kuwabara curses, so, don't be surprised when you read this chapter.

* * *

**The Past That Haunts**

**Written by The Grimster**

_[What was said three years ago:]_

_"A fall into a ditch makes you wiser." Said Master Gong. "People make mistakes and therefore become better, much stronger, and much wiser… But only if they take the initiative to. Therefore, be mindful of what you do and learn from your faults and errors. A failure is truly not a failure until that one who fails decides to give up. Besides, a jade stone is useless before it is processed; a man is good-for-nothing until he is educated."_

_Kuwabara had pondered for a moment about what he said and then evaluated what he was implying; "So, you're saying I should strive hard to achieve my goals and remain in school?"_

_His Master quirked a brow at him. "No, I am telling you to protect your balls at all costs or else you won't bear any fruit. You'll end up sterile as a eunuch! Have a proper foundation and the flexibility of bamboo, not a palm tree. Be as aggressive as a tiger, not a kitten, and as graceful as a crane, not a chicken. But remember that the tiger is clever and judges his moments before he decides to pounce." The man paused for a moment, cupping his chin and tapping his finger upon his mouth as he contemplated. "But as for crane, you are more like swan."_

_Kuwabara's brow furrowed; "Really?"_

_"Yes, swan starts off as being a very ugly and ostracized duckling." Master Gong replied affirmatively with a slight nod. "That's where you are, student. You are still in ugly duckling stage."_

_Kuwabara fell over anime style, thankfully they were both sitting Indian style on the wooden floor of the dojo. _

_"It's not very attractive at all and moves very awkwardly." The Martial Arts Master continued, wondering if he should explain. "Ever heard of the story about The Ugly Duckling? It's a very old children's tale that was written by Hans Christian Anderson."_

_Kuwabara reluctantly shook his head, feeling stupid. Although, he never really had the pleasure of such things as a child to read stories that come from other cultures. _

_"The story of The Ugly Duckling." Master Gong said with a rather sad sigh. He then began to give him a quick portrayal of the tale; "It's so big and ugly, that other birds and creatures shun it away, laughing at how unattractive it is. Even the mother duck who hatched it told the little bird that she wished a cat would eat him. So he wandered out, alone, trying to find his place. The other fowl used the duckling, including using his lack of beauty to make them feel better about themselves, taking advantage of him, running him over time and time again. They kept mocking him, telling him how exceedingly ugly he is. Even the fearsome dog refused to bite him, not seeing any worth in him. An old woman had taken him in by that time, believing she had found luck with him. The other household animals, however, kept comparing him to themselves in what he could do and found not a single worth in him. The duckling told the others that they just didn't understand him, and they mocked him for it, believing that he considered himself better than them. What they didn't see what his beauty, that he had grown into one of the most beautifulness of all creatures. Sadly, neither did he, his self-esteem so low that all he wanted was death. He flew to the most beautiful birds of all, believing that they could end him, since he had enough pride not to be pecked to death by the less royal foul. He saw no value in himself, not seeing that they, too, were swans. And then he saw his own reflection, finally, no longer seeing that he had dark gray plumage, but lovely feathers of white and that he was no longer displeasing to look at, nor was he inelegant. He became a beautiful and graceful swan and many claimed him to be the most lovely of all, drinking in his magnificent magnificence, even the great tree bowed down to his beauty. The other swans had swam over and welcomed him as part of their flock. But instead of allowing himself to be filled with disdain, the swan was exceedingly happy to have suffered both sorrow and trouble, because it enabled him to enjoy so much better all the happiness and pleasure around him. He couldn't be any more happier…" _

_"On further note, though the swan remains mostly unheard all it's life, it possesses the ability to sing the most loveliest of songs imaginable, and most sweetly. Some say, those who have been blessed to hear it, that it sounds like an angel crying up to heaven. It's a beautiful and legendary song…" The older man added. "Sadly, it is only heard before it dies. Perhaps, in the end, it becomes an angel, because it is such a pure creature." _

_Kuwabara sat in silence, doubtful as to how he could be anything related to something incredible like that. However, the old man did have the uncanny ability to know things. Later on, he discovered that his Master was actually very intuitive and was actually a psychic._

**oOo**

The first attack was like a total bombardment of full out fury, weapons coming at him at full force. They came at him in swift speeds, to his surprise, faster than humanly possible. They took out their weapons, leaping up into the air, coming down upon him like something unreal, like in a violent action movie. Kuwabara leapt out of harms way, just in the nick of time, by the skin of his teeth par say.

Were these guys jacked up on steroids? No, but it appeared like they were. It was freaky. These weren't at all like the punks Urameshi and he had faced before going on their first mission together. These were advanced.

The men snarled, smacking their jaws at him, appearing as if they had been engulfed by a form of madness. Insanity is relevant, but this was a whole different level of the crazies.

Two tried to swing their bats at him, though it wasn't the only weapons they had. Like any wise and skilled fighter, he blocked and dodged them. They kept aiming for his head beyond anything else in reach. One came right at him, literally from his right, he blocked that with his forearm. In a matter of a second, the second guy aimed right for his head, coming from the immediate left. Kuwabara ducked, pirouetting on one foot and knocked them right off their feet with one swift kick.

Before he could manage to get up, the third goon came at him with his blade. Kuwabara moved and then grimaced as he was missed barely by an inch, tittering as a few strands of his hair on the top back of his head were made at least a millimeter shorter. Kuwabara nailed him right in the face for that, but first did an uppercut right into his jaw.

In the meantime, the other two had gotten up and came at him again, together, trying desperately to knock him down at the same time. Kuwabara jumped back, doing a back flip, kicking them back in the process as he got out of the way doing a series of other back flips, which gave the other man the chance come up from behind him and wrap what happened to be a chain right around his neck once he had landed back down on his own two feet. Kuwabara instinctively grabbed the chain before the guy could manage to choke him. Kuwabara growled as he pulled the wrapping metal away from his neck, then the situation became all the more alarming when the man tried to sink his teeth right into his shoulder. He elbowed him back, giving him the edge to pull not only the chain away, but also to grab and then throw the man, sending him right into the others and knocking them down.

Kuwabara back flipped and watched as man cascaded into the others like pins being hit by a bowling ball. Feeling a bit guilty and negligent for not abiding his honor code, he decided now was the time to give them a fair warning of what they were up against. After all, it did unfortunately slip his mind. Besides, he was trained be better than a careless combatant.

"Oh, I should have given you all a fair warning." He said as he got into a fighting stance. "Funny thing is, I've just about recently obtained my black belt in martial arts and I'm very strong, a lot stronger than I look. Sorry that I failed to inform you. My bad."

**...**

_Now that he thought about it, that was one of the reasons why he chose this city, to better his fighting skills. In fact, he came to him immediately, seeking help of the mind, body, and spirit. He had heard of there being a great martial arts teacher, besides the once great Genkai, who lived not too far from this city, right on the outskirts, actually. The man was a guru in kung fu, ninjutsu and tai chi, though, and very picky in choosing students. You had to be worthy enough to be one of his students, most of all, his main rules was that you had to be very committed as well as have honor and a pure heart. He often wondered what that man saw in him in order to take him in, though._

_Most would think right off hand that the man was a total tight wad, but in time he showed his more loving and carefree nature to those whom he believed deserved it, and oddly knew a skill that he called "The drunken master". The man was an inspiration, because of him, he found again his reason to continue on living. He was the one who had informed him about joining the police force, pointing out his positive attributes. He took up his self-defense training with him, though, because he was obviously too dangerous to train with the other men. Hell, this guy even took him off of the streets when he had nowhere else to go and no place to live. That man could be a real jokester at times and it was very easy to lose your patience with him, especially with how he could be very stern one moment and then seem rather off the wall, a lunatic of sorts. He was chocked full of wisdom as well as he was a hard believer in superstition; like bad luck and achieving what's commonly known as "feng shui". And he loved to smack you on the head with his staff, whether you deserved it or not. His family was originally from China and his name was Master Gong Shang-Chi. _

_Of course, he started out with having minor difficulties with being very awkward, it was very embarrassing and laughable, but the funny thing is, he turned out to be one of his best and most quick learning students the man ever had. Originally it took at least six to ten years, sometimes even twenty for some to learn the techniques of kung fu, particularly that of ninjutsu. It's true that he hadn't earned his gold "True Master's Belt" or his black belt in Ninjitsu, which takes many years to obtain, but by the time he had earned his black belt in kung fu, most students have either been ineligible or had forfeited. In truth, he technically was the only remaining student left. He usually had classes with him four to five times a week, usually very late in the evening, though never on the weekends. The man claimed those days to be for relaxation and "personal me time". _

_Yes, it helped a lot that he only had to attend college for a few hours in the morning and three days a week. He paid those by quarter, by the way. And it had took time for him to get into that college and to get back up on his feet again, it wasn't over night, though he often wished it was. If anyone thinks he just moved and found a place to live quickly, they had another thing coming. And as I had told you, he made sure he kept himself busy, regardless. So, life did have both it's positive and negative points and aspects, just like his Master taught him. Perhaps he was more like a father than his other dad ever could be. Kuwabara respected him immensely, despite the immense training and even the most ridiculous things he manages to put him through. _

**_..._**

Kuwabara then decidedly pulled out his weapon, a staff that could extend and retract by a mere push of a small button. He whirled it about in his hands for a moment, a skill that he learned he could easily do while he was back in training for the police force. However, he added something extra. He started channeling his energy through the bo, causing it to glow a golden aura. The use of his gun, for now, would be his very last option, along with pulling out his spirit sword.

He paused for a bit, studying the men as they got back up off of the cold, hard concrete, appearing peculiarly similar to that of raising up marionettes. It was like they couldn't feel and that their movements were mechanical. If somewhat mindless zombies could appear mechanical.

Then it finally dawned on him. This wasn't demonic energy, this was the negativity within them that had been brought out and depleted what good they had left in them. In truth, it was like they were under a spell of some kind, because there was no way anyone with this much wickedness and aggression would allow some loser to control them like that. Dark hearts just won't permit that. That is…unless some sort of higher power was at work here.

The plot was already thickening and he just met these guys.

"Yes. Fight, you fool." Came a mocking voice. "But soon enough you will learn that all of your efforts will prove to be nothing. It's just a matter of time."

He glanced over at the leader from the corner of his eye, the very one who had said that. So much negative energy was seeping out from him, and like a colossal and terrible beast, the darkness arose from within his inner essence. That feeling of uneasiness; the sensation of being intimidated. That malevolent grin; teeth carved jaggedly like that of a supposedly horrid faced Jack-o-lantern. He remembered, all of those mind games of being lacerated by it's claws and then ripped apart by something incredibly and far more wicked. He knew what he was up against. More like who.

Kuwabara drew his immediate attention back to the goons. He held the bo firmly in his hands, then jerked his head, signaling them to dare to come hither.

At full speed ahead, the aggressors came at him, their behavior turn from being just mechanical to that of carnivorous dogs like in the flick of a switch. It was as if what was left of their mentalities was gradually diminishing with all the more violent they became, their aggressing and bloodlust taking over. This was definitely not normal.

Kuwabara spun his staff and them smote them away hard enough that anyone normal would have felt numb by the extreme pain in areas were his weapon had made contact. However, all it did was ward them away for a second as they staggered backwards. One of them launched himself immediately after him right after that. His inevitable frustration came into play, Kuwabara roundhouse kicked him in the neck, hard and swift, hurdling him right into the wall. Kuwabara heard bones snap the moment he had kicked him, both fear and remorse swelling in his heart for having perhaps broken the guy's neck. He had not intended to do that, but he could not focus on it, not right now.

When the others both attacked him, he maneuvered a no-hand cartwheel, all the while taking his staff and knocked their feet from right under them with enough force that it snapped the joints in their ankles. They fell down just the same, the back of their head smacking upon the concrete. Once back on his feet, he looked from them to over the first one. To his eminent surprise, the man was getting back up, all the while setting his very own head up by fixing his neck in a stomach-churning snap.

Okay. That wasn't humanly possible. Just no. And not to mention that there is no way in hell that the man could possibly still be alive. These people were human, he was certain of it. But something was wrong. Something was amiss. This had to be the forces of darker magic or something. Dammit, why couldn't his abilities just tell him what it was? Not once in his life had he ever encountered anything like this.

He then heard the others groan and noticed that they were getting up as well, after having snapped their bones and joins back into their proper places. He looked back over to them and noticed that blood was oozing down their bodies, forming into puddles, obviously having had cracked their skulls open when they had fell. The other joined beside them, almost as if he had appeared there, snarling at him as bared his teeth.

Kuwabara stood back, staring at them in bafflement. He expected this sort of things with demons, but never humans. After examining them, he noticed something very peculiar. They were no longer breathing, that is a series of taking in air and then exhaling. No, these people were no longer alive, that's a fact, but here they were standing before him with much malicious intent written across their faces. Even worse, they appeared as if they were ravishing with immense hunger, their eyes now completely red and bloodshot. And furthermore, these weren't zombies, these were now what was believed to be, both written in myth and in fiction…ghouls. Ghouls with the personalities similar to the movies about people being infected by some sort of "rage virus".

He knew now that just using the basics was not going to work. This called for some serious anti, so he hastily sheathed away the staff back into the proper holster on his belt.

And just as he was about to wield his spirit sword, the ghouls took to the air, leaping up onto the walls and then crawling like jumping spiders.

Kuwabara's face fell, eyes wide. "Is my luck really that bad?" He muttered, feeling very much now like he was literally trapped inside some horror film, like someone put him there as a sick joke. "Haha! Universe. Very funny!"

As if right on cue, the pint sized leader began cackling, taking up on the joke as if it were his own. "You see? You're going to die!" The twisted bastard cried out with mirth. "Say your prayers, Kuwabara!"

Kuwabara growled, irked that someone could get such pleasure off of shit like that. That, and the man just proved him right about whom he considered the villain to be. How would the guy know his name? He didn't introduce himself. In fact, he sort of gave up that little annoying habit of his a few years ago.

He quickly formed his spirit sword when one leapt right at him, teeth and nails ready to sink into his flesh and perhaps devour the meat right off his bones. He took his sword and sliced through him, cutting upward, diving the monster in half. That put a definite end to that one. Blood gushed and sprayed everywhere, particularly on himself in the process of it all. He had no time to wretch at the thought of it, because soon the second one launched himself towards him. Kuwabara used his sword and slashed through him horizontally, severing between his upper and bottom torso as well as his forearms from right around the elbows.

Kuwabara drew up his sword close to himself, now in a defensive stance as he examined his surroundings, looking for the third and final ghoul. This one was being a bit more clever in regards towards committing actions. He could hear it growling, but it was avoiding all eyesight as possible, perhaps by using it's superhuman speed.

He could hear the vile leader still cackling all the while running his mouth about something, but he honestly wasn't focused on him. One of the many things his Master taught him was to always drown out any possible inconsequential distractions that possessed usually one, single, solitary purpose of being that and nothing more. All he gathered was that the man asked if that perhaps he was afraid, wondering if he was trembling in fear of the future or something.

"Are you trembling, Kuwabara?" The man tirades on in the background. "Is your skin crawling, your heart palpitating mercilessly as death breathes down your neck, sending chills down your spine? You may have improved your skills and techniques exceptionally, but your execution will finally be at hand and I will have your heart as evidence of your horrific demise!"

"Hey!" Kuwabara barked angrily. "Do me a favor, will ya, dickhead? Shut up." Okay, he was trying to ignore him. He wasn't perfect.

The scumbag guffawed in response.

Kuwabara grimaced as he growled in his throat. He really hated that laugh, the sickening laugh of a homicidal psychopath. From his standpoint, it wasn't what manner of expression of amusement it was, certainly, more like who it came from that agitated him the most. It reminded him of a highly disturbed killer clown, the kind that offers your kids poisoned treats filled with tiny shards of glass.

The most peculiar matter, though, was that the fiend wasn't attacking him. Usually this bastard enjoyed doing the dirty work himself, but instead was enjoying the show. So, what's up with that?

Kuwabara then heard a loud screeching noise, followed closely by a proverbial ding. He looked over and noticed that it was the train out of here.

"Attention!" spoke up the conductor pretty jadedly. "The station is in it's last runs for the night. Anyone who wishes to use the metro-system must board now. I repeat, you have one more chance after this to use public transportation until four in the morning, that is if you wish to get downtown."

Dammit. He had been so busy fighting, he had failed to realize that trains had been coming and going. And if this was the second last train out of here, that means it was nearing one in the morning. Where did the time go?

Then there was clicking sounds, like loud pings as if something was moving across metal. The noise was coming from up top of the train itself. So, that's where it was.

"You devious son-ova-bitch." He muttered under his breath as he stared up at the roof of the cars, looking for the ghoul.

The mechanical bell sounded off and the doors were soon shut, and then the train started to immediately take off. And just as the locomotive started to speed up, the monster that he was looking for sprang out at him, both snarling and having his curled hands protruding forward. Kuwabara did a butterfly kick, right in the face, reeling the ghoul backwards. It hit the train, scathing the whole right and front side of it's body, it's skin being grated and nose broken clean off.

"Damn, I should have told you to keep all hands, arms and legs inside the platform at all times." Kuwabara stated disdainfully as he feinted pity. "Remember, kids, don't ever touch a moving locomotive, especially one that is speeding over fifty-five miles per hour." His expression then twisted in disgust as the ghoul spun himself around to look at him, giving him a better look of damage that had been done. "If I were you, I'd get that looked at immediately." He paused for a moment as he stared at the streams of crimson fluid gushing out of the ghoul's face as it hissed at him, also revealing it's now broken front teeth as it stood there. "Eww. Gross." He remarked and then quirked a brow behind his shades. "Hey, Grumpy, it would do you best to stay down."

The maddened zombie quickly moved in closer, hissing with it's mouth stretched open wide and ready to bite with what it had left in fearsomeness. Frustrated, and as his dark eyes quickly flashed the color of a fiery red, Kuwabara punched hard in the face with so much force that the creature went flying right into the tunnel, first smacking incredibly hard into the solid wall, the impact cracking it as well as forming a bit of a crater, and then fell down onto the tracks. Having fallen onto the third rail, which contained at least six hundred live volts of electricity, the undead demonized human was therefore electrocuted, and it didn't help that he had been bleeding. Sparks shot up and about, the body convulsing and writhing, skin crackling and popping as it then caught on fire.

Kuwabara whistled at the sight of it. "I told you to stay down. But does _anyone_ ever _listen_ to _me_?"

He continued to watch, ensuring that it was down for good, but then suddenly his senses tingled, alerting him of the coming danger. He turned his eyes fleetingly towards the direction he felt it coming from, then turned directly around when he saw fleshy appendages swiftly stretching out towards him, expanding outward to clasp around him.

Just as he was about to retaliate, something happened. In a quick flash, the limbs were diced into many bits and pieces. He watched in amazement as this took place before him, eyes wide as saucers. If he had a cigarette in his mouth, it probably would have fell right out between his lips. He blinked when he silently swore with his own eyes that he saw fibers as thin as hair, which vanished as quickly as they appeared.

"What?" the remaining and last standing attacker screeched, not at all pleased with having his attempts thwarted.

Kuwabara looked to the direction the thread had came from, which was to his left, but saw nothing. No one was there. How bizarre, he was sure that a moment ago he had felt a presence.

The other man looked around himself, shouting out as he looked for the one who was responsible for meddling in his attempt to obtain revenge. Kuwabara took this opportunity, while his foe was distracted, and repaid the man's attempts by extending his own sword and then slicing his head right off his shoulders. However, he didn't stop there. He took his sword, expanding it, making it much more wider, reforming it into a laser-like grid. It was an advanced version of his cleverly named "Spirit Flyswatter". And while the body was still standing fairly upright and before the fiend's head could ever reattach itself, he took his weapon and immediately diced the remainder of the body into many bits and pieces.

"No!" The villain drew out in a loud scream.

Kuwabara, without delay, made haste to retrieve the evildoer's head, pulling the demon up by his silver locks. He scowled something ugly as he held up the now bodiless head before himself.

"I don't know how you escaped, neither do I know how you could still possibly be alive…" He began to speak with much graveness. "Nor do I know how you've acquired your body again, or the mindless henchmen for that matter. In fact, I quite frankly don't give a damn, Ani Toguro, but I assure you that you will regret ever coming here."

Ani growled at him, then laughed a bit in his own distinctive and sickening way. The demon smiled assertively, with much depravity, and said; "Well, Kuwabara… Let me tell you the tale of how I managed to-"

"Shut the fuck up." Kuwabara bluntly cut him off, clearly fed up with this guy by this point in his life. After all, this depraved foe of his tried to kill him twice before, and once had planned on trying to eat him. The memory of Ani in Gourmet's body stuck with him to this day, how the man would lick both his skin, tasting him in anticipation. It was revolting. He had some nerve to come after him once he had escaped Kurama's "Evil Memory Tree".

Hearing the next and final train coming up, Kuwabara took the initiative to immediately head over to the very end of the tunnel, right where the train was entering through. He knew that the trains didn't slow down until midway passed the platform.

"W-what are you doing?" Ani cried out frantically.

"Wait for it…" Kuwabara muttered, judging both the time and his aim.

"Wait for WHAT?" Ani shrieked.

"Enjoy your trip, motherfucker!" was the only reply he received as Kuwabara then tossed what remained in front of the incoming train.

Ani screamed, but then was instantly made silent as the train pulverized him. The force made him flatter than a pancake, and then the train dragged him when he fell underneath, grinding his flesh and bones into nothing too short of hamburger meat.

Kuwabara heaved a sigh, his head tilted downwards a bit. Indeed, a part of him did feel bad for having done that, but that man just seems to come back to haunt him. No doubt, knowing his luck, he would again. In spite of this, and rather concerning, was the rest of himself feeling vindicated by what he had done, telling him that the evil demon deserved every ounce of justifiable infliction that could be cast upon him as a form of righteous punishment.

He drew his attention back up when he heard the train screech to a halt. Kuwabara looked inside, the cars were exceedingly empty now, there was not a soul on board. Not counting the employees, of course.

Like before, the train doors dinged as they opened. With nothing left to do, now he could finally go home. He glanced around to see if anyone else was there, but apparently the place was now almost deader than a doornail. He then looked up at the clock, it was past one now, the train was actually running late on schedule. Lady luck must be really smiling upon him now to have received something as fortunate as this.

"Attention!" Came the voice of the conductor over the loudspeaker. "This is your last chance, ladies and gentlemen… I repeat, your last chance to use metro system for the night…"

Kuwabara didn't have to listen to the rest, he simply made his way over to the closest car door.

Then suddenly, just as he was about to hop on, he froze in place. His eyes widened, now aware that three other presences had just arrived, like in a split second they were there.

"Kuwabara Kazuma." Called out a voice familiar voice from behind him.

The ginger haired man stepped back and turned around to face them, his brow furrowed a bit when he realized that it was none other than three troops from Spirit World's Special Defense Force, or SDF for short. Ryohi, the girl with the blonde afro-styled hair. Rinpai, the man with the blue Mohawk and tribal marks on his face. And then, finally, Shunjun, the one with the puffy light blue hair and also the one noted for being the best hunter of the squadron.

"I see you guys haven't improved your fashion sense any." Kuwabara quipped unenthusiastically, now feeling all the more snarky. It was true, though, they still wore that tasteless yet also extremely unsightly uniform.

The three swear dropped at that remark, then scowled in offense. Nonetheless, they chose to ignore the peanut gallery commentary and get right down to business.

Shunjun, the one who had spoken prior, continued; "We are here by the orders of King Enma himself."

Kuwabara blinked. He already knew, of course, that the SDF could only go on missions if called to. Still, why would they be sent here of all places? Perhaps Spirit World finally noticed the foul conditions of this sallow city? But why right here? Was it by mere chance of coincidence? No, something told him that was just wishful thinking on his part. Anything dealing with the SDF, whatever the case, never meant anything good. He learned that from experience by witnessing Urameshi go back to Makai, having stayed there for three years, all for the sake of not having to deal with them. And these three were the most dangerous.

The train doors closed, and then a few moments later, took off. There goes his last ticket out of here, out of this district. Shit. He could curse, but chose to bite his tongue instead.

"What do you want?" He inquired as he removed his sunglasses from his face, then narrowing his eyes at them with utmost somberness.

"You are to come with us to Spirit World immediately." Ryohi stated, trying a bit hard not to be phased by those broody eyes of his, though, his facial expression had became stoic. She noted silently to herself about how much this guy had changed since they had last seen him. So very much.

Shunjun then added; "Either you come willingly or, if needed be, by force."

Oh, yeah. This night couldn't get any better. It would seem that his efforts to get back to his apartment were fruitless, as if someone had flushed them right down the drain. Fortuitously, it was still the weekend. That is, if you could manage to look on the bright side of it, where the grass if figured to be green.

**…To Be Continued…**

* * *

Okay, I finally finished this repugnant chapter.

I had some trouble writing it a bit, since I needed to do some research as well as make sure that it comes out all right. But seriously, I am sorry if this chapter sucks. I know it does, immensely.

And finally, the SDF showed up!

What could they possibly want? Wait, more like.. What could King Enma possibly want?

I also want to say that I have nothing against Ani Toguro. I am saying this to his fans. I know they are out there. I just know that he would never change, though, at least from my perspective. And you never know, he may play role in this story. Besides this chapter, I mean.

Please review and comment.


	6. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I do not own YuYu Hakusho. I wish I did.

**Author's Note:**

This chapter is very significant. Very. It not only reveals why King Enma wants Kuwabara, but also what is going on. It reveals an ancient past and more. There's not much action, more like an informative lecture.

So, please read this chapter.

On a further note.. King Enma talks a lot in this one. A lot.

Time for Fun and Random Facts.

Did you know that "Kuwabara! Kuwabara!" is actually a chant to ward off evil spirits and lightning? It is! I'm not lying. It's true, even I was shocked. Kuwabara Kazuma's whole name is about protection, peace, and truth. What a name. It is akin to the English phrase "knock on wood" to prevent bad luck. It's an ancient Chinese legend, and that it's also best to remain under a mulberry tree during a thunderstorm since they believe the trees can never be struck by lightning.

Kuwabara is also a very popular last name, I found out. It's the name of a land, it's a brand of clothing line, etc… Hell, it's even the name of a porno magazine! Yes, Kuwabara, you're name is popular. And it's an actual name, too.

I also looked up Japanese websites and found out that Kuwabara is a Sagittarius (and is the youngest of the group). Yukiko, my character, is an Aries, sign rising in Scorpio, and moon in Libra, so that you know. Kuwabara was born on December 1st or 3rd, Yukiko on October 22nd. Yusuke is either a Pisces or a Gemini, Kurama on June 22nd, and Hiei and Yukina were born on November 11th.

Oh, btw, I know we all love Kurama's beautiful red hair in the anime… However, his hair is not actually red in the manga. It's black or a dark gray-like color. Yusuke's hair is also a very dark brunette, almost black. As for Hiei, they kept his hair right. Now, Kuwabara… So many people argue about this one. Some say his hair is a very dark orange, others a auburn, some even say it's a light brown, and others say his hair is ginger. I go by what I official see on the covers. His hair is a fiery orange, a ginger head. Hell, they just love to mess up this poor boys hair so much that they've designed a wig that's not only so damn curly, but it's BLONDE. *shakes head* Don't ask me.

And if you wish to know what Kuwabara looks like officially when he's older… Please go to my deviant art page and look at my webcam pic. That is an actual drawing of him from a magazine, as you'll read in my journal there.

…

My thanks goes to all of those who have read and reviewed. I appreciate it. It makes me happy to see that you are interested in this story.

Dark: I assure you, somewhere he was thinking that. "They were already dead when I killed them!" Like the little part of his brain that functions and responds whenever he thinks he may be in trouble for doing something.

BBR: Thank you so much for your comments!

D101: Hmm… Was it Hiei? Or was it SDF? Or…was it someone else?

And sorry for the wait, all of you! Here is the next chapter!

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**THE CALLING**

**Written by The Grimster**

_"And out of the darkness, the Zombie did call; True pain and suffering he brought to them all; Away ran the children to hide in their beds, for fear that the devil would chop off their heads"_

-Call of the Zombie; Rob Zombie

**oOo**

Kuwabara could not believe neither his ears or his eyes, but there he was, in the very presence of King Enma himself. Unlike Urameshi, Kuwabara did possess enough manners and respect, thanks to his upbringing, and had kneeled before the King of Spirit World. His stance was similar to that of a knight's from Medieval times, his head lowered and down on one knee. He has also removed his shades when upon entry.

Around him stood the Special Defense Force in proper rank formation, both to his left and to his right. They were doubtful, vigilantly eyeing even the slightest movement he could make. No doubt, they were waiting, heavily anticipating for the opportune moment where perhaps he would make the wrong move.

And as for The Great King Enma. He had heard of him being a giant in stature, but this was monstrous. More over, he appeared austere; those thick and meaty brows canopying over that deep and unnerving gaze and his lips curved in a seemingly perpetual unsmiling expression. He was certainly someone who contained a fearsome face. It was to no wonder why most people feared being in this man's presence, which was quite foreboding.

"I bet you are wondering why I called you here, Kuwabara." Spoke the King.

To the fiery haired man's surprise, those words sounded more like something that the younger demigod would say. No doubt, this was where Koenma inherited his manner of speaking from.

Once Kuwabara looked up at him, an indication that he was providing his full attention, King Enma continued; "I am afraid human world is in peril again. And not just human world, but all of our worlds and realms." His tone of voice became grim, a hint of worry now blossoming across his visage.

Kuwabara blinked and then furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, King Enma?" He inquired, doing his best to choose his words wisely. If anyone he didn't want to upset, it was this one. He couldn't imagine what sort of judgment he may bring upon himself if he did not play this one out right.

"All that of human world, spirit world, and even demon world, among all of the other realms that lie near, far, and in between…" King Enma said as he removed himself up from his throne. "I'm afraid that even heaven is no longer safe, now that an ancient threat has decided to reveal itself out of the wood works." He began to amble away from his royal seat, signaling for Kuwabara to follow him.

Kuwabara was baffled by the man's show of actual friendliness, not something that was to be expected by someone who was so fearsomely revered. Nonetheless, he stood and followed the great judge, whom made his way to the window to gaze out upon the flowing River of Sticks.

"Kuwabara," He spoke up again after a brief pause of silence. "This world is divided up in different realms, and within those realms are also planes and twelve dimensions." He began to well-inform. "First are the Heavens, then Spirit World, then Demon World, Nether World, and then finally Hell. Beyond that in heaven is also a place known as the Divine Realm, there is where most of the significant and important gods and goddesses live, the Supreme Ones, as well as the higher celestial beings. Heaven and hell are the final destinations in a soul's life, either to live in perpetual bliss or to suffer in utter torment below for all of eternity. The Nether Realm, though banned from existence, had once served as Purgatory. The very place where souls roam until they are finally reincarnated. Now that the Netherworld had been shut down, souls are immediately delivered here by the soul reapers, or else their very existence could be placed in absolute danger." He looked down at the young man. "My job as well as my role in existence, Kuwabara, is to ensure that souls go to their appropriate places once they've entered the afterlife and to keep human world safe at all costs from other worldly threats."

Kuwabara listened carefully, though at the same time, wondered why this man was telling him all of this. Sure, he was like any average human when it came to understanding the affairs of the afterworld. But still, why was this man giving him a lesson instead of just cutting to the chase already? He didn't see why any of this had to do with him.

"In fact," King Enma continued, looking back out the expansive windows. "Each realm is ruled and maintained by a deity, much like myself. As I've already said, I am the God of the dead, my job is to merely just supervise and place people where they need to go once they had shed their mortal coils. There are actually other gods and goddesses that exist, and there is at least one in ruler ship of wherever a soul or spirit is placed, besides heaven which has many. Take Hell, for instance. That infernal place is ruled by the demon god, Naraku-daiou. He is also known as The Great Black Dragon and The Great Demon King of all Demons, but he has little to do with that of Demon World. Furthermore, he spares no one who is sentenced there for punishment, demon or human. He is both greatly renowned and feared, as you can greatly guess. And his daughter, Jigoku Narakumi-hime, is just as feared yet also despised. Although, not just because she is Naraku's daughter, but also because she's the great, great grandchild of the goddess of death herself. And like her father, she is not a very pleasant individual to cross paths with."

"Pardon me, sir." Kuwabara spoke up finally, not really finding any solace in mind of how the King was beating around the bush par say. "…You're telling me this because…?"

"Because even they, too, fear the threat that's rising over the horizon." The giant stated. "Everyone who knows is becoming restless…"

Restless? This didn't sound good. What on earth could make even the likes of the gods restless? Kuwabara frowned chastely at this. What's more, shouldn't King Enma be telling someone else this? Someone more like Urameshi? After all, he seemed way more suited for this sort of thing.

"There was once a great prince with even greater power, way back before the Special Defense Force was ever assembled." King Enma continued, as if right on cue. "It's because of him and his fall that threw the worlds into an ever perpetual state of chaos. Before that, times were peaceful, a flourishing paradise. Happiness and great love abounded, the wickedness and corrupt ways of both humans and demons were not what they are today. Of course, there were times when people would step out of place and justice seemed to be lacking, but that was immediately dealt with by the angels who kept everything in order, thwarting all that threatened peace, virtue, truth, and life."

Kuwabara's eyes widened. "Angels?" The word had suddenly sparked interest in him, perhaps mostly because he had been hearing about them for most of his life by now. The closest he had gotten any facts about these creatures, however, was from Sensui and Itsuki. But then again, honestly, he couldn't really count it as information… Could he? In his mind, he just considered them to be total whack jobs who had been tainted by their own selfish desires.

"There are angels, there always has been since dawn, before the making of the universe…" The giant god stated, giving him a quick clarification as to what they are. "But they are very rare these days on behalf of most of them being locked away securely in another dimension. The rest of them have taken it upon themselves to remain out of sight, either to wander this world in incognito or they are cleverly concealing themselves in the elements. Today, many consider them to be only that of myth and legend. In some religions, they are considered to be very popular, but they are not the ever peaceful creatures that are depicted in books, monuments, paintings, cathedrals, and so on. In reality, and in these troubling days, they are far from that. Though they were once beautiful creatures of extreme goodness and purity, we learned a frightening truth that they possessed a dual nature- Two faced, you may call it. And yet, they continually reflect light and shine ever so brightly like the stars in the midnight sky, even if it's of the darkest variety. They forever remain perfect, immaculate and pure."

"Wait!" cried out Kuwabara, who was very much confused now. There was a bewildered expression etched across his face. "Not to sound rude by interrupting you or anything, but isn't Botan considered an angel?"

"No." answered King Enma. "I am not talking about the Shinigami or soul reapers. A Shinigami is a death deity, or one who delivers the dead to Spirit World to be judged. Izanami created them after The Fall, who is now the goddess of death, as a gift to lighten the load that Spirit World is forced to toil with timelessly. The angels are the main causes behind this, they are the wretched and the scourge of all kind. In fact, they possess such a strong conduct for morality, that they intend to bring out the foulness of all creatures as to justify their reasons as to why they inflict their wrath and punishments. The ones they despise the most, however, are the gods themselves, the very ones who had cast them down from their highest order. They no longer have a place in this world or any other."

Kuwabara's eyes widened. He didn't know that. In fact, he didn't know of any source on earth that provided such valuable facts. The "unknown" was precisely that of the name it had been given, years of research forged by mankind were merely estimates of how the spirit realm might be, but never once did it provide any solid or clear evidence. In truth, brilliant men could only rely upon their imaginations since the unknown realms still remained an utter mystery. Both ethical backgrounds and cultures that have stood the course of time, and those that have fallen, were only implications that such mythical and extraordinary creatures could have existed along side with mankind.

King Enma, who had paused for a moment, continued, now explaining everything that he knew; "The angels in this world are fallen and are considered to be as powerful or like gods themselves, especially the ones known as Seraphim by the various beliefs. They are very cleaver and powerful creatures, and through the course of time have became extreme megalomaniacs. Furthermore, radicals, for in their ranks there are fanatical believers in pursuit of making change to their ideal world where they are in control of everything. But there is one Seraphim that surpasses and exceeds them all. He is now considered the most foulest creature to ever exist…

"He was the most powerful of them all, was that of a god. His powers seemed limitless, he could do both the imaginable and the unimaginable. He helped maintained the heavens, the earth, and was in charge of his own kind. The creator of alchemy and magic, the embodiment of music, the powers of life and death in his hands, the deliverer of karma, the controller of demons, and the far most the greatest tool that the gods could ever want and more…

"…And, furthermore, he was The Prince of Angels. Still is today, very much royalty…

"Despite being him surrounded by a jealous court, his servants are considerably loyal and obedient to his every command or whelm, though mostly because they are too fearful to overthrow him. Under him, they control many hordes and ranks of other less powerful celestial beings. These angels were once in the highest of places in the divine realm, when they fell, they became worse than demons. They became devils. No longer protecting the good of man, but punishing them. Some are even tempters, worse than that, some fulfill promises or grant power to those whom sell their very souls to them. This counts for both demons and humans alike….

"He is so well known across nations in human world, depicted in countless cultures and religions, that he possesses many names. Some call him by Akuma, others have called him Sammael, Lucifer, Apollyon, Beelzebub, Mephistopheles, The Egyptian god Seth, Iblis, Nergal, Satan, The Devil, The Beast, The Cthulhu, Prince of the Air, Lord of the flies, His Infernal Majesty, Smiling Jack, The Master of Puppets, The Grim Reaper; the names continue on and on. Most, especially the demons, rather refer to him as simply HIM…

"Those with enough common sense both fear and despise him for every fiber of his being because of the terrible power he holds over them. He is also the reason as to why they and the humans are cursed, including the rest of the angels. After the angels had brought out their darker natures, as well as including a wicked intent within their hearts, the demons were forced to forever live in Demon World, never to leave unless they'd be severely punished. Most had became hideous creatures and had lost all but basic instincts, which is to kill and feed…

"He was once known as The Morning and Evening Star on the account that he shined so brightly in the heavens. He was far most the most beautiful and handsomest of creatures. Long and curly hair as red as fire, eyes that blaze like the sun, fair skin that seemed to shine like gold, his own body like an inferno, his voice deep as a rumbling thunder, and was the only being who owned twelve wings. They are that of a brilliant fire, much more than the rest of himself. One on each ankle, one on each wrist, one beside each knee, two upon his head, and four on his back; the top pair significantly larger than the set below them, and are littered with eyes. The very same could be said for his very shadow, however, especially when he reveals his darker side… And when teetering over to this nature, he can become blacker than the night sky, yet, still his glorious radiance shines…

"No one really thought anything of it, besides those whom he punished. It was his nature, after all, just like all of the other angels. He was doing his job, to which then he had every right to be filled with righteous fury. Failing to see was inevitable. He was the perfect and most good of all creation, with a heart purer than the finest gold he was the least expected to head down the path he had chosen to take. No one knew that he would end up as one of the greatest antagonist in existence. No one. Not even the gods...

"That one day he would change. Something grew and stirred within him, effecting him to a severe degree. It seemed he had went on one too many missions that he had been sent on by the gods. Tragically, he became depraved, like madness was slowly consuming him on the inside. In his heart, vanity grew, as well as disdain and belligerent hatred towards those who considered themselves higher than himself. He despised how the gods wanted everything absolutely perfect and in order within their eyes when he saw that they were not, so he took it upon himself and his kind to send such a world crashing, all the way in a downward spiral. The worlds shook and war soon broke out.

"Though, despite what he had done, many consider this travesty to be romantic hero. A personal savior. He is the worst of the worst, this hellhound of Baskerville…

"This menace also has sons, foul beings whom he created out of the wickedness that was in the hearts of all kind, which he had collected over the centuries. Conversely, despite how great of potential threats they may be… What we fear the most is the fact that we had learned nearly twenty-five years ago. That he actually had gone out to conceive himself a son with a human female on the account that all angels are male, better known as his heir. From what we've gathered from valuable resources, he knew that his mis-creations would never be the child he always wanted. After all, they are too much like demons. If this child is still alive, which we believe he is, his father will stop at nothing to find him and form him into the image of himself…

"This is where you come in." King Enma said finally, looking back down at the now astounded Kuwabara. "We need you to find him, prevent this. I can only hope that this task won't be hard, though chances are it will be like finding a needle in a haystack. We tried once to track him down, but he eluded us, as if by some chance or bad struck of luck, had disappeared."

Kuwabara's eyes widened all the more, now the size of saucers. " …Are you saying that I'm now a Spirit Detective?" He inquired incredulously. He shifted his eyes from side to side. This had to be a dream, it sounded too good, yet, so horrific to believe.

The Great King Enma nodded. "Yes, from here on, you are now our chosen Spirit Detective."

This answer sent Kuwabara reeling back. He held up his hands and waved them, flagging, wanting it all to pause for a moment. "Whoa! Wait, what about Urameshi and the others? Aren't they more grade-A material then me? You know, Kurma? Hiei?"

"I refuse to put this severe ordeal in demon hands. Not only because they are demons, but also because they are more susceptible to being placed under the enemy's influence." King Enma stated rather sternly, turning his whole massive body around to face him. "You are the only one who we know that may accomplish this mission, none of the others are as powerful as you are or possess the same potential. More so than our Special Defense Force. Not only because of your psychic powers, but also because you have the ability to slice through dimensions. These angels, especially their dark prince, can travel through multiple dimensions, even all at once. And if our information is correct, he should be around your age. And if he hasn't evolved into his angelic form, yet, he should also appear as if he is a normal and average human being."

Kuwabara could only stare. How in the hell was he, of all people, ever going to amount to any threat this powerful? He never knew that angels could be this powerful, let alone be this bad.

"Be far warned, Kuwabara." King Enma continued, breaking the piercing silence that had filled the room a moment ago. "Sensui, though he was the child of a fallen angel, he bore no resemblance to how powerful this man may be, the king devil's son's power and potential far proceeds that of his own. In fact, he is the key. He means everything to these angels, especially his father. He is the one who can exist in both worlds, that of the spirit realm and of the living. And he is also the one who can set free the ones who have been bound and sealed within their perpetual prison. If he sets them free, it would bring all of our worlds crashing down in a chaotic and destructive end. So that you know, they almost wiped out all of human kind during the beginning of their existence, including the demons. That is why we must, MUST find him before his father or anyone else causes him to fall. If he falls like the other angels had, we're all doomed." He paused for a second, then uttered reluctantly; "…We just hope he hasn't pivoted towards the downfall already."

"Yeah, that would be great." Kuwabara muttered under his breath, then kissed his teeth at the mere thought of it. "A real humdinger. More like a total kick in the ass, foot still lodged right in it."

"Furthermore, there are inevitable and eminent dangers that lie ahead." The mighty King of Spirit World spoke informatively, his tone ominous. "His father, for one, is a great deceiver. He can appear as if he is an average and normal human being, and also shape shift or take any form he pleases. He can also suck the life out of you and consume your soul into nothingness, that or turn you into a ghoul and then you will become his very own little puppet. And that's if he doesn't decide to devour you completely. He's also an incredible healer, can put himself right back together again even after the most fatal of attacks. Killing him seems to be entirely impossible, that is because he's immortal. Some of the other angels can do some of that as well. As for his freak demoniac-sons, they are another severe threat. They wish to win the boy over to their side so they can combat against their father and overthrow him for the sake of wanting more power. And if we have him on our side, we can prevent this."

Kuwabara shook head, trying to regain his composure or some sort of sense there of. These were grave circumstances, after all, and if life wasn't already hard as it is, it felt as if the world had suddenly fell down upon his shoulders. He stared up at the fearsome King, now clearly seeing how dependant he was upon him. Maybe the Special Defense Force didn't trust him, but this important man, however, did.

Was this the one shot he had been looking for, way back when he was still part of Urameshi's team almost five years ago? All the same, he never once dreamed of it being like this.

"A lot is at stake, Kuwabara, so much that it may lead to the end of the world we now know of, dawning a new and horrific era. Our fates are now resting in your hands."

And the reason of the existence of ghouls had been explained to him. He was going to have to face more of those dreadful things. But why would they attack him? Did they know that he was going to be hired for this mission? A part of him sort of doubted that little factor. But then again, if these celestial beings were as powerful as he had now recently heard, maybe they were psychic, too. Just great. That would be so fucked up, because he'd then be certainly more way out of their league.

Yet, how was he to refuse? The pot calling the kettle black, he would be as bad or worse by doing so. It would be a real kick in the teeth to everyone. He couldn't allow that.

Kuwabara placed his right hand upon his chest and then finally said; "As my sworn duty to both you and everyone else, King Enma, I will find him. Mark my words, I will make it my vital effort to not fail, for I am Kuwabara Kazuma. For if I do fail to protect, that will no longer be my name." He then bowed his head respectfully, sending him an assuring smile.

"Well, that's good to know!" Spoke out a very familiar voice.

Kuwabara blinked, his eyes widened slightly as he then threw his attention towards a young man with coffee colored eyes and short brown hair. "Koenma?" Kuwabara said rather rhetorically, knowing full well who this guy was. In fact, not much had changed, by the looks of it, the only difference is that he seemed to be using his matured appearance more these days. He still had that damn ridiculous pacifier in his mouth.

"Hey, Kuwabara! Long time no see!" Lord Koenma greeted, smiling his own perky way as he waved at him. The young prince walked over to him, then unexpectedly paused in his step. He looked his old friend up and down, taking in the sight before him, appearing as if someone had dropped the bombshell on top of him. "Wow, you really have changed since we've last met. And here I am thinking that they were merely rumors. You're not as hideous as you used to be."

Eyebrow's knitted as a low growl rumbled in the ginger haired man's gullet at that insult, even if it was simply teasing. "I wish I could say the same for you. You haven't changed one iota." He snidely remarked, sending him a crooked and somewhat toothy grin. Two can play at this game, is what he thought.

The Prince of Spirit World merely grinned at him.

"My son will be monitoring your progress." King Enma informed. "Since I am too busy to do so myself."

Lord Koenma frowned with a groan, disheartened by his father's comment. He was very busy, too, nonetheless, but his dad still considered him to be an extremely lazy and undisciplined boy when it came to the lines of work.

"I've informed you of everything you need to know so far. Anything else, you will go to him." King Enma instructed him. "And one more thing. We will need a sample of your blood."

Kuwabara's face fell. "My blood? What for?" He inquired, suspicious as to why they would need something like that.

They never required something like that with Urameshi when he had worked for them. Or did they? The raven haired man most certainly had failed to inform him of it, possibly written somewhere in the fine lines of the list of conditions. You'd think that with something like that he'd no doubt complain about it.

"To guarantee in the end that you're not of demon heritage." King Enma replied, then gave his son a stern yet admonishing look.

Kuwabara frowned all the more. Didn't this guy just hire him to be Spirit Detective? Already, was he having doubts of him being completely human. What's up with that? The others he could understand in seeing them being tested, but himself? Besides, what type of guy hires someone who they may have doubts concerning them?

And while at it, this guy should really lay off his son, too. Kuwabara could both feel and see the negative, not so very happy vibes radiating off of the both of them.

"Yes, father. I will see to it immediately." Koenma said and then heaved a vaguely despondent sigh. The Prince then looked back over to Kuwabara and then signaled for him to follow.

Kuwabara tagged along as soon at the other man began to lead the way. But then he abruptly paused for a moment, knowing that he had forgotten something- His manners. So he turned upon his heals and gave King Enma a farewell bow in respect, then made his way to join the Prince, all the while ignoring the unremitting stares he was receiving from the Special Defense Force.

**…To Be Continued…**

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I wish I could have made this longer, but I decided it needed to stop right here. Yep. I'll write more in the next one.

Sorry if the paragraphs seem to run on and on. A lot of it was King Enma talking.

I know that this chapter is the suckiest, mostly because there is nothing really going on.

Please review or comment!


	7. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This story goes along with a lot of my other stories, though it is with the story "Between Peace and True Reality"… Usually I make Alternate Universes of Alternate Universes. So, it's like a collection of stories in different universes, but the same kind of concept. However, this is not the case for this one…sort of… This is more like a time skip, since I so damn impatient and also I'd really like to continue that fic.. I did have chapters already written, but sadly I had lost them.. So, I said "screw it!". And this is what happens.

It's a long waited update for many. Sorry for the wait. I time-skipped a bit to get where it is now. It is not much of a skip, at least for now anyways.

**Pairings:** Mmm... Surprise? Maybe... ...Errr.. Vote?

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Undecided at this time.

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**UNCANNY RECOLLECTIONS**

**[...Whilst Being Stalked...]  
**

It was dark and not a soul was to be seen for a whole block from here and according to his watch it was now way passed midnight, a few minutes after twelve-thirty. He did not care that he was up in the dead of night, though, since he had requested to be off for awhile, insisting that it would be for the best. Astonishingly, his employers were very much okay with his decision.

He had to drop his classes, too, due to his inconvenience having to now also be a detective. For a few days he had been frazzled about having to quit college, but figured he would just have to go back and catch up once this important mission was complete. Besides, what was more important? His future or the sake of the world going extinct.

King Enma's assistants had drawn out three pints of blood, one for each passing week. In truth, he felt a bit woozy and also in definite need for a drink. Giving blood meant that he could not even let a bottle of booze touch his lips, much to his displeasure.

It had been three weeks since he had touch any alcohol and it felt like absolute murder to him. He didn't consider himself to be an alcoholic since he believed only those who possess severe addiction disorders would be classified as an "abuser". He knew how to drink and he had developed a very high tolerance to the substance.

As for the tests…

So far they had found nothing. There was not a drop of demon blood to be found coursing through his veins.

The fiery redhead did not know whether he should be relieved or not. He was relieved that he was found to be clean, since that meant that Spirit World would not get a wild hair up their ass and possibly either assassinate him or lock him up like that once threatened to do to Urameshi. However, that also meant that he was practically an average mortal, just like all the other humans, which meant that he was up shit creak when it came time to face Sensui and that new fucked up regime of his.

Yeah, talk about something being totally fucked up. Not only did have to find out that Ani was still breathing the hard way, he also learnt that Sensui was still alive and fully kicking. Not only that, but it turns out that the one who bore the name "Dark Angel" is literally a damn angel.

Imagine the horror that was seen upon his own face when he got that memo from Koenma. He could not help but thing to himself; "when will this madness ever end?" And who can blame him? The man who had both kidnapped and anally raped him was back in action. This life of his was really fucked up, it could not get much worse than this.

He also had heard straight from the mouths of babes that Urameshi had actually turned down the offer of ever coming here when Koenma had asked for his assistance.

Leave it to pacifier breath to go behind his back and do such a thing. Did he honestly think that he could not handle this on his own without Urameshi taking the lead in the case whilst rubbing it all in his face?

Then again, the refusal of every coming here to see him was all the proof he needed to know that the raven haired Tourin Prince had moved on with his life. The ex-detective was not about to do anything that may mar his now perfect life, even though it meant he could at last see his best friend.

When Koenma had enlightened of him the news, he seemed awfully disturbed, in fact, crestfallen. _"He isn't coming"_ he had said flatly, _"He isn't going to come and neither is he going to help."_ Then afterwards, he insisted that the best thing to now do was to move on and forget the whole thing. What's more is the fact that the Reikai Prince was adamant about literally forgetting the ex-detective completely.

At first, Kazuma figured that he was well by now busy taking care of and raising a family. Botan interjected and said that Yusuke and Keiko had lost the kid due to birth complications. And when he was about to say something in his defense, Botan had added that Keiko and Yusuke were no longer together and that Yusuke had moved back to Makai. Now, that awfully took him by surprise.

So… What did Urameshi say that made the demi-god so wound up like that for? He had never seen Koenma behave in such a manner in all his life.

The orange haired man had inquired as to why the prince was in such a bitter mood, but all he received was cheerless expression as the question was then ignored. He had asked him a second time, but the prince insisted that it was not important. Kazuma sensed that he was hiding something from him. He'd have to bring it up again later on and when that time comes he would get some answers.

"Shit.. Fuck… Someone needs to definitely clean up this shit-hole. Looks like the garbage dump of Gehenna around here."

Kazuma cursed as he marched his way down a litter encrusted alley as he made his way to his prime destination- a bar and club cleverly named "Lost Paradise". He was stepping and stumbling upon all sorts of empty bottles, cups, and other pieces of trash that was laid around around and about carelessly.

Though the streets were usually filthy like this, it was something that he could not manage to find himself adapting to. Filthy vermin literally crawled the streets like pedestrians, whether it was day or night. And the people who lived here were awfully lewd if not boorish in their demeanors and mannerisms. This place was not famous for its heavy use of drugs and for the wide sale of prostitution for nothing. The very thing it was noted for the most, however, was it's mysterious murder cases. People were dying here and no one had a clue as to who or what was to blame, neither were there any suspects.

This metropolis was ranked to be one of the most dangerous places in all of the world.

Too bad he found that out later, right after he chose to move here. Leave it to him to not fully do his research. Sure, he knew it was bad prior to coming here, but he did not know it would be this severe. All he knew was that people needed his help and he was willing, one way or another.

Whoredom is a very lucrative business here. Here in this urban decay, most of everyone could be anyone's mother or father, even a brother or a sister, but chances are they would deny themselves of actually having lived an ordinary life. Here, people ran from their responsibilities and obtained a debauched livelihood. If you were to insist that you had known them from your past, they would merely make rude comments and laugh in your face.

And as for drugs, acquiring such goods was fairly easy. Most people in this city consider being stoned as the only way of escaping the heartaches of reality other than offing themselves. It was a primary need and was certainly out of the police's control. Hell, even they consumed their fair share amount of heroine.

In comparison with the other civilians, Kazuma was by far the cleanest individual around.

It was a jungle of madness here, even with it's alluring neon signs and lights as they flickered and dimmed throughout the nights. Nighttime was considerably the most dangerous time of all, since that was the time when all of the kooks would come out to play from every crack and dark corner, nook and cranny. It was also the most likely time to either get raped or mugged.

Fortunately for him, the criminals here have learned well enough to leave him be. He was not every whore's best friend for nothing, mind you that he would never even lay a hand upon them in any sort of sleazy way, even if they did insist to offer themselves to him. Some have even gone as far as to name him "The Mafia King" or "The King-Pin" due to him having street punk or thug-like experience. Well, at least it was better than the other names they gave him. Why did they have to give him so many names was beyond him.

Unlike the ghetto he grew up in, people actually turned to respect him here and not just knew him. Pimps and druggies wanted to befriend him like crazy.

Hell, even his fellow witty officers would suggested upon him becoming the new governor, insisting that he would be perfect for the job since the mayor here was a lousy and insufficient one. _"He doesn't even run the city"_ they would persistently inform him, _"someone else with higher power does that"_. He often wondered what they exactly meant by their statements. If neither the mayor or the law were not in charge, then who was?

The only answer he had received in the past was that he was a very powerful and respectable man. His coworkers pointed out that he, Kazuma, would very much like him, claiming that the mysterious man and he had a lot in common with one another. They even had wondered if it was possible that the two of them was perhaps related.

Kazuma could not help but wonder, particularly about how they described the man to have the same sort of hair as his, not to mention possessing similar features with one another. The only difference was that the man was a lot taller in stature and that he appeared phenomenally ageless. He has also heard that the man sported a devilish goatee and though he was charming in personality, he looked like the devil.

Kazuma snorted at that remark. …But still, he wondered.

Perhaps this was why so many wanted to be his friend, believing the two to be the same exact person. To cure their confusion, the orange haired detective decided upon finally shaving away his own stubble, leaving him with a now smooth and clean-cut look. What was the point of keeping it if it made you appear to be somebody else's double?

Surprisingly, Kazuma did not receive any difference in treatment, goatee or not.

This made him all the more curious. Why did people here respect him so? When he had first came here, he was just like anyone else who decided to foolishly make a living here, there was nothing special about him at all. However, as time passed, it seemed everything was turning itself around. What was once a hellish life filled with constant struggle, was now becoming remarkably easier for him. If he asked for something, people give it to him with no questions asked. It was as if he had became famous here, the very star of this forsaken metropolis that was riddled with scars and thorns. Moreover, everyone here knew his name and who he was, which was quite unsettling when you really think about it.

Perhaps, he'd have to check this guy out, that is when he had the chance. He had heard that this guy was surreptitious in nature and often hard to find. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack. Confrontations with him, so he had heard, happened by slim strokes of chance.

Too bad he was not like his stalker. Or freakish stalkers, whichever the case. At first, he thought he was being stalked by a peculiar looking girl, but in time he founds himself to also being stalked by a rather very tall man who was just as strange as the girl was.

Dealing with the girl was not so bad, for the moment he would spot her, the moment she would disappear. The same could not be said for the man, however. He was more upfront with what he was doing, like he was purposely wanting him to see him. In fact, the more he saw the man, the less he saw the girl. Putting one and two together, he came up with the first conclusion that they were related with one another.

But…

As time passed, especially during this week, he realized something mighty strange.

The guy had the exact spirit energy as the female did.

Kazuma was not that much of a dumbass, he knew that everyone possessed their own unique spirit signatures. This could not be said for the girl and the man, though. Their's was the same. He wish he could conclude that they were two separate people, but the evidence was already adding up. For one, they were never seen together and neither were they ever around in the same exact place at once.

By reading the energy, he figured out that this stalker was a demon who perhaps had the power of metamorphosis, also known as shape shifting.

From the glimpses he had captured of the demon, he had estimated that the follower right around Ototo Toguro's height, even possessed the same complexion when it came to skin color. However, he was not overly bulky as the younger of the Toguro brother's was. In fact, despite how well physique and muscular this demon was, and he was built like a tank, he was actually more lean and had a longer and more slender frame, gangling. It reminded Kazuma of a snake or a dragon, a shapely body with an incredibly powerful design despite his appearance.

To be more precise when it comes to summing up this man's appearance: The demon has a long neck, long arms, long legs, and a long torso. He has big hands with long piano fingers, topped with sharp nails at the end of his digits. His torso is formed in the shape of a "V", yet, dauntingly fits the Serpentine archetype. He has a sinuous physique; his torso is thin but wide, like a cobra, his oblique and lateral muscles tapering to a typically narrow waist. Viewed from the side, his posture forms a gentle S-curve, his long neck stretching slightly forward above square but sloping shoulders whose blades jut out dramatically, his spine is strong but supple, and each of his muscles rippling noticeably underneath his shirt. He is lean and muscular, built like a tank, but is not overly brawny to the point of being bulky. His torso is rather elongated, his lower stomach stretching endlessly towards an outward projecting pelvis, and he is bendy kneed and centers his weight of the balls of his feet. He has large feet, but they are mostly long and thin, corresponding perfectly with his strong hands.

Like the girl, his hair was black. In fact, very black. The blackest hair he had ever seen. It was like this black was blacker than black itself, if that could even be remotely possible. Hell, the apparition's dark locks beat the Shrimp's very dark and spiky mane. His hair texture appeared to be thick, but also a bit wild and spiky even though it was straight. It was like Urameshi's, only better, more shiny and better well kempt, didn't have that "finger caught in an electric-socket" look. Slick yet with the attitude of a heavy metalist's, that kind of hair. The demon also had two locks of hair that rose above on both side of his temples, curling upward like two little yet thick horns. At first, fiery haired detective thought they were devil horns, causing him to double-take, but it turned out that they were not.

He has sensual eyes with a distinctive horizontal shape, which slant inward towards his nose. These eyes of his have dark rings, as if someone had outlined his eyes with black eyeliner and then applied a light shade of gray upon both his eyelids and around his eyes. The irises of his eyes and even the very pupils themselves, just like the female, were also a vibrant or piercing blood red. Those eyes shined like fire, like two red hot cigarette liters, the very ones you would find in most automobiles. He has a long face, an angular shaped head, pointy elfin-like ears, high cheekbones, a long thin nose, and a dominant chin. Upon his chin there is a dimple. His arching eyebrows have a certain thickness, not too thick, not too thin; they broaden a bit as they curve to a point and then become burly as they fringe out upon the ridges. He has thin lips to accommodate his large mouth, seemingly reptilian. Overall, he has smooth, yet, very manly looks. Kazuma also considered him to be dusky and swarthy, sometimes even rugged, and most of all devilishly handsome (emphasis on the "devil" part).

The detective's realized that his cheeks had heated up. The orange haired human did not know why, but when he thought of the demon, he found certain parts of him responding in ways that he really did not approve of.

For one, he did not know who the fuck this guy was. Two, this weirdo was purposely stalking him. He wondered what he wanted with him, it had to be something else other than actual interest in a person such as himself. Out of all of the people he's ever come across of, Kazuma found this demon to be the hardest one to read; like there was an invisible force field that served as a block or a wall that seemed to be impenetrable. And he's psychic, so what does that say?

It was not that Kazuma did not swing that way, on the contrary, he was actually bisexual. He had a secret crush on Urameshi for years, hell, even one on Hiei. But the reason why he was so uncomfortable was mostly because of what had been said in the past…

_"Nobody wants Kazuma, people only get stuck with him"_, a statement that was mustered to everyone by the courtesy of none other than his older sister.

However, no matter how cruel that remark sounded, it was very much true. Whoever really wanted him had to have lost their freaking mind or perhaps was at wits end and thus was very desperate. If anyone proved to him that he could not be loved, it was Yukina. After all, his testaments of love meant nothing to her and proved that when she had chosen to be with Kurama. He even had the unfortunate circumstance of stumbling upon the two having a game of tonsil hockey, feeling all over each other like there was no one else there to see.

He sighed inwardly.

Most of the opposite gender was shallow anyways, at least from where he was seeing. He tried dating a few times, but all of the girls he had been with were either using him as a rebound tool or had found better looking men than him and thus cheated and left him. And boy did he hate it. He hated it with such a passion so much that he had declared to mark dating off the list of his things to do in life. In fact, in less than a year of making such a decision, he realized that he was not really all that attracted…to females. His attraction to males, on the other hand, was an entirely different story.

Most females believed him to be a pussy disguise, that is that he should have had a vagina instead of a dick and making foul comments about how he was more bitchier than a lady is on her period. He could not believe as to why they would think such a thing. He was a man, after all, pure one-hundred percent grade A male. Though, they all insisted upon him being a woman trapped in a man's body. _"One just doesn't see it until someone gets to really know you, Kazuma, then they realize about how you are much less of a man than you throw yourself out there to be. You shouldn't strive so hard to convince others."_

That was nothing new to him, though, since both Urameshi and his sister constantly made such remarks about him anyways. They always teased him for his love of cats and about how he was very tidy, even noticing how certain things did not match or blend well together. They even made jokes about how he was more girlfriend or wife material than an actual boyfriend. Of course, he claimed to be manly, very manly, but they always countered back at him that there are girls in existence who love to fight just as much as he does.

…He always failed at winning those arguments. All he could do was sit there with a petulant glare and growling feline-like as he made terse retorts during their cracks about him being a complete gay in denial.

Of course, he knew Urameshi was merely joking for the sake of getting his goat for kicks. Hell, Yusuke did not even know about how he, Kazuma, swung both ways. Pretty much, the ex-detective believed him to be straighter than a ruler, especially since because all he had ever heard about was girls from the spirit swordsman when he talked about dating.

But, he knew his sister was different. She knew more than she ever let off. In fact, she knew him so well that it was scary. She could use all kinds of shit against him, blackmailing him to do whatever she pleased. This was how she got him to come home when she wanted him to and how she got him to do the chores around the house. "You owe it to me" she would say, "for putting up with your ass. God, Kazuma, maybe mom and dad should not have adopted you after all."

…Wait. Was he adopted?

Pfft. Yeah, right.

Hold on for a second there, pal…

Actually, come to think of it…

It could be a possibility and he really didn't know either way. It would seem as though he could have been, with all of the secrecy in the family and whatnot.

After all, he did not look one iota like his parents. His father never liked him and his mother behaved as though she merely put up with his existence. Hell, it could be true, after all, he did find out later that their supposed "father" was not the biological father of his sister. Imagine the rage that his mother's husband felt when he realized that.

In truth, the man who had married his mother actually adopted her last name and not the other way around. How bizarre is that?

Come to find out, the Kuwabara bloodline and heritage is that of a sacred one. When one is born a Kuwabara, the clan refuses to have any of it's members to have their surname changed to any other surname. It's a rule, Kuwabara must not lose his or her own name for it defines who they are.

Surprisingly, the man who was Shizuru's real father actually reminded him of Urameshi, a lot. He was a weird man with a witty sense of humor, yet he knew how to play it cool and was very open-minded, knew his shit very well. It was he who was with Urameshi when it came to inviting Yukina to live with them. He did not live there as of yet, but he pretended as though he already did. Consequently, that made him pissed.

After living here in this city for a year, Kazuma had gotten a letter from his family concerning the news about Shizuru's father and mother finally getting married. Kazuma did not go, of course, since he could not bring himself to. He felt unimaginably guilty, especially since this new father of his seemed to have wanted him desperately to attend, but he had refused nonetheless.

Back to the subject of adoption, he had long since been enlightened by his family that Kuwabaras do happen to take in other members of their family, that is IF a child is parentless. Kuwabaras stick together like glue, at least that is how it is supposed to be. The Kuwabara family is very tight knitted one, they'll even take family secrets to the grave with them.

…But if the woman he had come to know as his mother really isn't his mother…then who is?

Holy shit.

Not only did he not know who his father was, but now, he was questioning who his mother was now. And to think, all of this came from the recollections of the past, tagged along with having your life-fluid drained away from you into a cup. ...And people say that you need to see a psychiatrist to do this, to recover suppressed thoughts and memories. Hah! He proved whoever said that to be wrong, dead wrong.

Damn, he needed a drink.

He turned and made his way down a alcove with a short flight of stairs. Upon his way, he flicked his hair out of his face, which was now barely reaching his shoulders, and entered into the underground bar.

**oOo**

_It's never solely justified, I can't explain_  
_Here in my clouded wicked mind, my one mistake_  
_You want it? I got it_  
_The walls around me closing_  
_Dementia, bipolar_  
_Fighting to keep this alive_

_ It's never solely justified, I can't explain_  
_Here in my clouded wicked mind, my one mistake_

_You want this? You have it_  
_The time of constant static_  
_You will not control my mind_  
_Not this time_

_ It's never solely justified, I can't explain_  
_Here in my clouded wicked mind, my one mistake_

_It's my tragedy_  
_It's my hypocrisy _

_You wanna run away_  
_IT'S MY TRAGEDY_  
_In the end you'll have to stay_  
_IT'S MY TRAGEDY_  
_I'm ditching all the pain_

_It's my tragedy_  
_It's my hypocrisy _  
_It's my tragedy_  
_It's my hypocrisy _  
_It's my tragedy_  
_It's my hypocrisy _  
_It's my tragedy_  
_It's my hypocrisy _

_IT'S MY TRAGEDY_

_YOU STOLE THE BEST FROM ME!  
_

**oOo**

Somewhere, unseen by the naked eye, stood two dark silhouettes. One possessed an aura which shined with such pristine, gold with flakes of violet purple, a sign of his power and identity.

The latter mysterious figure spoke; "So, the kid's finally questioning his own existence." His voice was laced with intrigue.

"Should we go inform our Lord, my love?" The other figure inquired, curious. "After all, from what you've revealed to me, it appears that he's perhaps catching on."

"Hn. You should know by now that The Master already knows. After all, he knows all." Came his reply. "So, until we receive our orders… …Let's just wait and see, watch with attentive eyes and listen closely."

"…Hmm. At least the boy has finally taken a step closer in the right direction, yes?"

"Yes, but it's only one step in many for the long journey ahead."

**…TBC…**

**

* * *

**

**Author's comments:**

Sorry for the cruddy chapter.. I tried to give what had happened in the past three weeks.. And more. I did not want to leave people out of stuff. Sorry if it confuses anyone. It's been awhile since I've written anything to this story.

I decided to just add this chapter to the already existing story instead of beginning a new. I also did not want to skip to far, since that would take a whole lot out of the story development.

Up next… Want to know what happens in the bar? If you do, please review!

Please comment and review! I greatly appreciate it.

The song is "Tragedy" by Free Reign.


	8. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

By the way, Yusuke and Keiko separated, doesn't mean it's over with officially. Then again, you never know.

**Pairings:** ...Dunno. Besides there obviously being Kurama/Yukina, Hiei/Mokuro... You choose?

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Undecided at this time.

* * *

**THE GRIM**

_Damn, he needed a drink._

_He turned and made his way down an alcove with a short flight of stairs. Upon his way, he flicked his hair out of his face, which was now barely reaching his shoulders, and entered into the underground bar._

Before he had set foot into the bar, right at the door an internal feeling in his gut warned him to go no further. It was an unpleasant feeling, in fact, nauseating; like he had eaten bad fish. However, he chose to disregard his personal wards and carried on upon entry.

That's right. He had wards.

He only discovered this fact when he had done some more research nearly three months ago. He wanted to know why certain parts of him behaved in peculiar ways, tingly and trembling, only to hear whispers seconds later whenever he crossed a threshold or stumbled upon any sort of trouble. Sometimes, he could swear up and down that he see pentagrams form upon the back of his hands when it came to such occurrences, though they were very light and barely noticeable. Hell, sometimes they were even on his feet and other parts of his body, along with other symbols and some written code or cryptic language. Speaking of the latter, he found such codes and encryptions in books about the use of witchcraft and the Occult.

He did not know why or how he ever obtained them, after all he was not a demon, but apparently they had been a part of him long since before he could ever remember. All he knew was that he did not put them there himself. It was just bizarre, off the wall. Not once in his life had they ever appeared upon him before, not even while he was part of Urameshi's team, that is until recently.

They were like Urameshi's demon markings, like tattoos in nature, only his were a bright vermillion and would sometimes appear luminescent. However, it was though these marking were struggling to reveal themselves completely, like something was keeping them back and undercover. Yet again, this was another issue that he found himself to be lost at words for.

These had to have been place upon him at birth, since it made more sense as why he could not recall any sort of ceremonial modus operandi. He also thought that perhaps his mother, whoever she was, had to have been a witch. Come on, think about it. The Kuwabara family was not only a sacred clan, but in their midst, some family members were discovered to be actually witches instead of priests or priestesses.

Whichever the case, a voice told him to keep such matters as this to himself. He had a bad inkling that if he had professed this and his beliefs in anyone that it would do him more harm than good.

Before he could manage to walk into the door, he was hit with a force.

"The hell?" He roared out in aggravation. It was not that the sudden shove had managed to move him, he was just not at all very fond of surprises.

He blinked for a moment and realized that it was a man.

An older man, one who was about seven inches shorter than he. His dull complexion appeared sallow, his musky dark and silver-streaked hair was in a tousled.

The older man locked eyes with him, his inebriated daze and rank breath gave the detective all that he needed to figure out as to what had transpired here. Apparently the smaller man was now so sloshed that he did not know where the hell he was going or what he was doing. He was utterly stupefied, heavily under the influence the boozy spirits.

…Or so he thought at first.

His psychic senses tingled, signaling that something was amiss here.

It was not even a millisecond later when the man began to moan that Kazuma smelt blood.

…Drip…drip…drip…

He glanced down at the floor, realizing that a puddle of blood was forming at the stranger's feet. Kazuma's inquisitive gaze traveled upwards, observing as he noticed that the blood was actually dripping down the man's left arm from a series of large gaping wounds. Great big chunks of meat were missing, the damages were so deep that you could literally see the bones. However, the trail of blood did not cease there, in fact, it was also running down from the man's neck region. There was a dark area on the nape region that the detective could barely make out since the blood drenched collar was practically in the way.

Kazuma could have taken a closer look, could have even asked if the poor man was alright… However, he knew better.

First of all, asking such a question was a dumb thing to do, clearly the man was not fine in the least. Who in their right mind would ask such a thing when the answer was quite clear to be seen?

Secondly, when his logic kicked in, he silently questioned as to how this man could be even still alive and moving if he had lost so much blood. It just was not possible, he should have passed out by now.

Thirdly, why was he here instead of actually being at the hospital? Sure, their medical facilities sucked major ass, but at least he would be in better hands. The key word was "better", of course.

And finally, as he looked around the bar from where he stood, his internal voice was screaming "GET OUT OF THERE, YOU IDIOT!" A warning, going off like a foreboding siren to heed people of the foreshadowing danger.

And to be honest, he could see why.

From all around, the attention of the people were turned upon him. Their faces were eclipsed in darkness, their expression menacing and uncongenial, and their eyes appeared empty and soulless. Like the fellow who had dumped into him, they bore the same injuries.

Blood, so much of it, and the foul smell of decay. The putrid aroma filled the place like no one's business.

He watched as they all hissed and snarled at him.

"Goddamn." He huskily muttered under his breath.

Then that is when it hit him.

Mighty fuck, these people were all dead. Just like the group of boys that had followed him down into the train station.

Camera-eyed, both the past and his insight raced through his mind. His brainwork was moving at a quick pace as he summed this situation together.

One of the real questions here was "how long had it been since they all had kicked the bucket?". By the stench of it, it had been for quite some time. Days perhaps. Also, someone had to be the responsible for this, just like last time, there was a ringleader. …But where was he?

Then he remembered what he had been told. This was an infection, like a terrible disease, not on the physical but on a supernatural level. All that is physical is now dead, these people were only alive because their souls were still very much apart of their earthly vessels. Furthermore, one bite was all it took for anyone to be contaminated.

These poor troubled souls. They were in this condition and stuck in this hell because of devils granting powers and immortality to selfish asswipes, the only two conditions being perpetual servitude and drinking of human blood.

In truth, a vampire is person who was once human who's desire was that of becoming a demon. The only difference was, was that vampires drank blood instead of eating flesh like most demons would, just like the fallen angels themselves do.

Technically, that is how actual vampires were generally made, they were monsters but have their minds still intact. Ghouls, on the other hand, were these individuals right here, the once victims of said vampires.

An abrupt gurgle issued from injured man that stood before him, drawing his attention back to where it had instigated.

The stranger's head was now tilted downward, producing wails and mournful moans, gurgling as though he was now choking upon his own blood. His face, likewise, had also became darker, in fact, disturbing. His eyes were glowing stoplight red, his jaw dropping, mouth stretching open in twisted yawn.

Kazuma sweat dropped as he then proceeded to back up.

Could you honestly blame him?

Kazuma was no coward, but there had to be at least sixty ghouls in there. He did not care to do a headcount to know exactly how many there were, he just knew that he did no longer wished to be there.

Oh sure, he could end it right then and there for him, but thought of them being poor unfortunate souls made such a decision more difficult.

Such a waste of a practically good joint, too. It was completely trashed with bloodstained hand-prints all over the walls, blood smeared in various places, and as well as there being puddles of copper-ish substance. He doesn't believe that he could ever muster the strength to come back here, less there was a dire need to. Too much had happened here.

"Okay, you take real good care of yerself there, buddy." He stated, then whistled whilst he walked backwards out of there.

Just as he began to flee, the whole throng of ghouls had suddenly stood up, all together at once, and in a matter of seconds proceeded after him. When the one that stood the closest launched himself towards curly haired detective before he could turn around, the ginger head nailed him right in the kisser.

When in doubt, knock'em out.

Dashing up the stairs, leaping three steps at a time, he quickened his pace as he ran down the alley, never minding the junk in his path as he ran.

Damn, he should have listened to his intuition.

Just then, he realized that even more had joined in on the hunt, coming out of every nook, crack, and cranny. Some of them were literally crawling on the walls, a few jumping down to join the existing growing swarm that pursued him.

He walked in from one nightmare and into another even greater one. Son-ova-bitch!

And worst of all, he was all alone in this. All alone. No help whatsoever.

Where was Botan when you needed her? Hell, where was Koenma? Where was anyone else?

They were right behind him and closing in real quick.

*

Meanwhile, elsewhere yet not too far away, upon a rooftop…

Shunjun and a good handful of his recruits watched all of this as it unfolded. They beheld as Spirit World's new detective became surrounded by the people turned into monsters, watching as he had no other choice but to pull out his spirit sword and cut down each one that desperately craved to have a taste of his sweet flesh. His teammates made idle comments about how "good" the ginger head actually was, but neither of them lifted a finger to do anything.

"Sir…" One of the recruits spoke, sounding quite anxious over the matter going on below. "Shouldn't we help him?" He was a rather small and frail lad, one who did not appear to be SDF material in the least. He had light blonde hair and large charcoal grey eyes, and his skin a milky-white.

Upon hearing such an inquiry, a conniving smirk formed upon their leader's visage. "No. Let him be." He ordered them.

"But sir, isn't this rather sordid?" The troop argued, minding his words carefully as he spoke. "We can't just let him…parish… Can we?"

"As a matter of fact, Junichi, we can." The blue haired captain replied. "After all, this is what he precisely deserves…for having once broken the barrier between human and demon world. And breaking that said barrier is an unforgivable crime by any means."

The soldier stared at the great hunter for a moment, transfixed and baffled. "I… I don't understand."

"Of course you wouldn't." Shunjun spoke as a matter of fact. "You're new to SDF, thus, I would not expect you to." He paused for a short moment, then added; "And don't think about going down there to assist him. Let him be ripped apart, just like he should have been whilst he had gone to demon world."

"No, sir." Junichi spoke up yet again, beseeching. "It's just that… Didn't King Enma hire him?"

Shunjun frowned and turned a rebuking gaze upon the younger man. "Are you questioning my orders, soldier?"

Junichi whimpered. "No, sir. Sorry, sir. My apologies." He then sighed wearily to himself after he had seen the disapproving looks from his other fellow teammates.

"This is for Captain Otake." Shunjun announced.

"Hai!" The soldiers sounded off as they stood in attention, saluting in agreement.

*

Kazuma growled as he took his sword and sliced a food seven or eight of them in one swift move, whirling himself around in place whilst this action transpired.

Like whooshing fire in a firestorm, the detective severed parts away from the incoming black parade of ghouls, his amber eyes now blazing like an inferno. In truth, he felt like he was on fire, literally. Crimson fluid splattered and sprayed everywhere with every dismemberment. He continued to hack and cut away like a hot knife through butter until he finally had a clearing, and once he had made one, he took the chance to run for cover…

…Wherever that may be.

Minus the ghouls, the streets were oddly empty tonight. It eerie and unsettling. The city did not become dead until three or four in the morning, which was an hour before daylight. Well, at least in this neck of the woods. So… Where were all the people?

Kazuma had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling… That most of everyday civilians that he had came across with in the past were now the very thing that was now haunting him.

Kazuma grimaced, hating the possibility of the living were now zombies.

He looked back at the ones that remained, detecting some of their resemblances in their appearances. And to think, some of these people were ones who once asked for his help in the past. Well, that was all good and gone now. He could not help them anymore and he hated that.

By not watching where he was going, he ran into a metal street pole and fell over onto the ground.

Of all the damn rotten luck.

It nearly caused him to black out, fortunately his skull was too thick to permit that to happen. But damn, did it smart. And that metal was so cold that it could have seared the skin off of his face.

He winced as he sat up, rubbing his head as he tried to regain his composure. He could hear their growls, they were now so very close again, their presence… Literally right on him right now!

His eyes snapped open, wide as saucers. "Shit!"

But before he could react, before he could summon his sword once again… Something happened.

Down they went in millions of pieces, their blood pouring out like an explosion.

What the fuck?

His eyes widened again. He had seen this before. He could have sworn it, never mind the fact that he was now covered in cold coagulated blood. Not that he was immaculate before, having received stains from his previous fights to remain alive, but now it was safe to say that he was now nearly drenched from head to toe.

He saw that fine thread again, the same culprit that was responsible for what had happened to Ani that time down in the subway. Though, this time the thread gave a high pitch whistle as it disappeared, not to mention the smell of sulfur that now lingered in the air. It was pretty freaky.

"Clumsy, aren't you?" He heard a voice, one that sounded awfully familiar, yet, oddly had never heard before. It was more of a subconscious sort of thing than it was anything else, like a voice you hear in your dreams.

And It was a deep voice, too, even deeper than Yomi's. Dark, deep, and guttural. Hoarse yet smooth, broody yet calm and collected. Very distinctive.

Kazuma shivered. It was a voice that movie villains were often portrayed with having. He then heard a chuckle, it was deep and rumbly, which was followed by what sounded like a demonic sort of purr or growl.

Finally glancing towards the direction he had heard it from, he saw the dark silhouette of the one held accountable…and realized…

It was him. His stalker, with his long black hair whisking in the wind. Wearing an ankle length black trench coat that was out of this world with it's bizarre collar, and though it was black it shined a dark red, like a poisonous apple. He also sported black knee high captain boots, a red undershirt with a black button-down vest, and a pair of black skintight pants that revealed everything, from every ever muscle to the large bulge in his pants.

Kazuma turned beet red from noticing the latter detail and backed up against the nearest wall, all the while knocking over the trashcan in the process, ashamed of himself.

"Such a lovely night, is it not?" The demon spoke eloquently, cracking a devilish smile at the ginger head.

Kazuma spazzed. "AAAH! Who the hell are you and why are you dressed like that?" He demanded as he pointed his finger at him.

The demon chuckled again, finding amusement in the detective's sudden outburst and reaction. "Still fussy as always, I see." He mused. "Surely, Kazuma, not much has changed about you. You're still the baby I once knew. Ahh, but how much you've grown. Quite wonderfully, I must say."

Before Kazuma could inquire as to how this man knew him, like a bolt of lightning, there he was squatting right in front of him, staring face to face with his creepy stalker. His face was barely even two inches away from his own. Kazuma stared in surprise, he could feel the demon searching his very own soul with his piercing yet hypnotizing gaze.

This was intimidating. And of all the days to not have worn his shades.

The demon's crooked and toothy smile was rather unsettling all on it's own, his mouth rowed with sharp teeth and long canines; like a German Rottweiler. Moreover, between the demon's dreamy daze and the smile, his expression actually seemed as though charming. That caused Kazuma to feel nervous to the point of his stomach feeling funny.

He wanted to crawl away, but by what he could see from his peripheral vision, the taller man had him blocked and cornered. His large hands were resting upon the wall and his long and muscular arms serving as blockades. Kazuma could not go anywhere, even if he wanted to. It's not like he could levitate or pass through walls here.

After a brief moment of silence has passed, the demon spoke again; "You shouldn't point, it's rude. It should not become of you to behave in such an ill-mannered way. It's not expectant of you, I'm surprised. With all your vehement talks of becoming a gentleman all those years ago. Tell me, kitten, did someone dare ruin you?" Upon stating the latter, the demon's sly grin melted away, replaced with an expression of remorse.

At first, the detective's face was twisted by confusion. ...But all that quickly changed, feeling as if though this creep had been watching him all his life.

Kazuma gritted his teeth together as he mustered; "Pardon my speech, but who the fuck are you?"

The demon cracked a smile; "I have many names, but you may call me Reficul. Or Ref for short, whichever you prefer." He paused with a beat. "In fact, I insist."

Kazuma's eyes widened once again as he watched this demon come closer, ever so slowly, as if trying to torture him with his actions. His face was now as red as a Christmas tree light.

"Hey! Hey, what are you doing? I don't know you well enough to--"

Before the ginger head could finish his statement, the one who called himself "Reficul" moved suddenly away, only to swiftly drive his hand through the cavity of a living dead man. In a matter of milliseconds, the ghoul's body broke apart and burned away into nothing.

Kazuma stared, not knowing whether to be grateful or horribly terrified.

Once the intruder was well taken care of, Reficul turned his interest back to the human that lied underneath him. Lulled eyes and a cheeky yet chauvinistic grin… Once again, these features were already proving to be weapons of their own against the ginger head, something that he could easily get lost in. Not that he would so openly admit to, but they were mesmerizing to him.

But then there were more ghouls heading their way, one could clearly hear them coming, which yet again distracted the taller and more domineering man away from him.

Figuring that now was the best time to escape, Kazuma quickly slid out from underneath the man and scurried the hell on out of there. And this time, he did not dare to look back.

Unknown to him, Reficul was keeping a real good eye on him, watching him as he ran away as he continued to deal away with these creatures.

Using his energy like gunfire, he shot all of those in the incoming crowd one by one, ending their miserable lives completely. Just like the one whom he had speared through the chest, these were also burning away.

Normally he would enjoy a good kill and a challenge, but he was having a bit of difficulty in his usual reveling. In fact, he was slowly but surely becoming rather provoked.

He snarled to himself, not at all pleased with how this had all turned out. This had not gone accordingly to plan as he had hoped it would. In fact, he already had set plans, that once he was finished here and had caught up with the other gentleman, he was going to set him straight.

The young man better find it very fortunate that this dark demon prince possessed an intense ardor and devotion for him, even after all of these years.

*

Kazuma ran through the city until he came upon a temple. As fast as he could, he went to check to see if the doors were open to the public. Once he realized that they were, he quickly entered and slammed the doors shut behind him.

Instincts told him to barricade the door, but he knew better. If he did that, he would have nowhere else to run. He had seen way too many horror films where a decision like that ended up as more of a fatal one. The best chance he had at this rate was to fight them head-on, that is, if the ghouls happen to find him first.

His body was so tense, his muscles in knots, and though he tried, he could not find himself to be at ease.

Danger was still prominent, he could sense it. And though he was in this sanctuary, this place did not provide the feeling of security or safety he had been longing for. In fact, it was though the key threat was within these doors.

"Turn around. Behind you." his intuition instructed. "You're not alone."

The very moment he followed through with the instructions, he found himself being lifted up and forced against a wall, face first.

Stupid. Stupid. He had to be so stupid to take up on this job. Fuck, what was he thinking? He was not ready for any of this shit!

Yes, Spirit World had given him the memo about the possible threats... Nevertheless, if they had honestly known that he was this weak and helpless, why would they had even bothered to pick him in the first place? None of this added up. You would think that King Enma of all people would be smart enough to make a mistake like this. Even Urameshi did not have this much trouble, not like this.

Then why?

Why choose a human to save the world if you knew that in the end that the one whom you had chosen was bound to fail? It just didn't make any lick of sense.

Did the universe hate him this much?

"Well, well… Fresh prey, I see." Came the maniacal voice of a man.

Kazuma groaned, feeling the man push him further into the wall. There was so much pressure upon him, that he could have sworn it was fracturing the very wall itself.

Kazuma floated above the stone floor helplessly, with his back turned and forced against the wall, he was vulnerable to anything and everything that may come. Hell, for all he knew, he could get…ass…raped… He whimpered at that thought.

"You know, I would love to peer into the eyes of my prey, but something tells me that you're not the average human." His captor said, then cackled in the most annoying way.

"Shut up." Kazuma retorted. "In all honesty, pal, yer voice is already bugging the crap outta me. And yer breath is rank."

"Why, you insolent little maggot!" The man spat. "For that, I'll drain you dry and then rip you to pieces!"

Kazuma frowned in disgust as he felt spittle land upon his skin.

So, this guy was the vampire? Great. Just great.

This was perhaps the very bastard who had caused all of this bullshit, stealing these poor people's lives. How sickening.

Well, at least on the bright side, he knew very well what he was up against.

Like there was anything bright to found in or about that realization.

By summoning what little strength he had left, wanting desperately to be let free, something had happened.

Something snapped.

Literally. He could hear the cracking before the breakage.

He first felt immense pain, but that all dissolved away when a tremendous surge of energy filled his body from within followed moments later. His body vibrated as though it was silently humming. And then suddenly, his eyes lit up with rage, flames burning within the amber orbs before his whites were consumed in darkness.

Kazuma did not know what was going on, because by that time he had finally lost it.

"...What the?" was all the vampire could managed to utter as an invisible force flung him away, treating him as though he was merely now a piece of folded paper in the hands of an unappreciative child.

In a mad pursuit of rage, the detective managed to push himself off of the wall. In matter of seconds, he spun around and landed upon his own feet.

But the madness was not over. Far from over. The building was shaking, from the floors up. The pews bucked before toppling over, one by one like a game of dominoes. The place grew dark, blacker than night itself, giving that foreboding or daunting air. And the very walls were now eroding away, becoming ugly and cadaverous, threatening in every aspect found only in nightmares. His power was effecting the surrounding area by each passing second, peeling everything away on the surfaces, leaving only the internal structures intact.

From within, all Kazuma could hear was the sounds of wind and hissing ruts, growing louder and louder.

And that he had planned in his mind was to take this bastard far away with just that... His very own mind.

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's comments:**

Hey, at least this chapter has some action, yes?

Hopefully, I'll post another chapter… But I don't know how soon that will be.

I don't know if anyone is still interested in this story or not.

If not, eh, I may not write any more to it.

Hint: The others may be in the next chapter.


	9. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Undecided at this time.

Wow. I'm surprised that people actually like this story. Really. That surprised me to hear that already quite a bit of people are still interested.

Ev: Thank you so much for your comments. Yes, Shunjun is a dick… But that is to be expected, after all, he did boast about being the best hunter and for having almost caught Yoko. It will take time for things to be revealed, though. I don't want to rush the story.

Saya: Thank you!

Kinnys: Awww. I do not think my writing is that great. It's pretty amateur. …Then again, I am my own worst critic.

Dark: Well, you'll see in this chapter.

And thank you all for your comments and reviews. It makes me happy inside. Oh, and…this story may very well become a Reficul/Kuwabara pairing!

* * *

**WICKED**

_There was once a saying; "The brighter the light, the darker the shadow."_

_And if Kazuma's light was believed to be the brightest amongst his teammates, along with his notably golden heart, one can only wonder how sinister his shadow truly is._

_His light shined like the sun. He was though the star in the morning sky. And he was the twilight before and after the coming of night._

_Throughout the years and during the missions, many unfortunate people had the luck of seeing the ugly sides to the fire youkai, the fox who was once "The King of Thieves", and then finally the Mazoku Prince._

_However, no one has yet to see Kuwabara's, and most just considered that the human possessed not a single bad bone nor fiber in his body. He was just too good for that. Too much of a goody-two-shoes or too strong spirited to even remotely snap._

***

Sanity had shattered away, he was now spinning out of control.

His enormous release of power pulsed, dispersing in harmful forces of psychic energy. A deadly concoction of Pyrokinesis and telekinesis endowments locked together.

Immense amounts of fiery chaotic energy teemed outward from within, faces with the appearance of death forming all over the whirlwind of power that surged from and around him. Gold became vermillion, and vermillion then became a daunting blackened smolder with a fiery yet blood red blaze.

This newfound power was mutilating and burning everything it touched. He himself was indisputably on fire, though the flames caused him no harm. He was a deadly hurricane.

More bouts of fluent energy suddenly wrought together, producing an array of deadly bands covered in barbed lace. These bands whipped through the surroundings, slicing cleanly through anything much like his spirit sword could do. Eventually, these bands dissipated and so did the rest of the radical accumulation of energy.

Already, Kazuma's physical appearance had manifested into another change, only this time a smidge more drastic than what had been gradually accumulating over time. His features were noticeably much softer now, for one, no doubt making it hard for most to find him to be recognizable.

His protruding high cheekbones were barely there to be seen anymore, and yet, he was still endowed with them. Moreover, all of the awkward angular features had all been refined, smoothed out. And there were no more of those "unsightly lines" that everyone had attested to him owning behind his back. He was as though a polished diamond that had been finally free from the rough.

In reality, he did not appear to be as "manly" as he once claimed himself to be. He now had rosier cheeks, his soft lips more lavishing, thicker if not longer eyelashes, his eyelids and around his eyes darkened with a rusty yet zinfandel tint, and his skin was now whiter than snow. In short, he appeared to be more effeminate, but he was still a man. A very handsome man, beautiful but not girly like some male humans and demons.

His curly fiery ginger mane became longer, growing with every passing second, down coming past his shoulder blades and to his lower back. His ginger strands of hair were also now more like a vermillion orange, more fiery and vibrant in color than it previously ever was, and thicker, too. And now that his hair was longer and had thickened, his curls came out rather nicely, most of his ringlets having became more expanded and not so constricted together. He was the picture of a head-banger from those longhaired groups that groupies cry and scream over.

His eyes were also no longer a dark and unnoticeable amber, but a hue similar to the external skin of an intricately carved and well lit Halloween pumpkin, especially with the vermillion rings around the outer edges and the yellow coils inside of the irises. Nevertheless, these eyes began to burn a though literally fire and brimstone, and his milky whites were eerily being consumed by a seeping blackness, now appearing as though hollow.

A twisted and diabolical grin formed upon his countenance, his facial features now became hidden by a heavy overcast of shadow; like the sun eclipsed by the moon. Moreover, his teeth were now sharp and jagged, bearing the similarity of a shark's, only with longer canines like a feline or serpent. He presented to be more of a monster than the actual vampire did, more fearsome and disturbing.

The building became precarious, shaking turbulently.

An asudden solid energy now emitting from the detective then formed into phantom limbs with hands and long lacerating fingers, like knives or sickles, stretching outwards like elastic to prepare for the kill, to tear and bring ruin. In a twinkle of an eye, they launched themselves towards their intended target.

The demonized man, who was already severely injured, barely even had a chance to scream--

When then something had abruptly occurred.

His attack ceased when a loud BANG echoed through the shrine.

The orange haired fighter's focus broke, his eyes growing wide as severe pain swelled up inside of him. He looked down, only to realize that he now had a large gaping hole in his chest, right through his left lung. Blood then gushed forth from his mouth as he fell forward to the ground, landing on the hard marbled floor in a loud resonating thud. And the darkness clouding his face vanished inch by inch and the fire in his eyes went out like a candle as the haunting black in his whites disappeared just the same.

"Pathetic demon." Came another unfamiliar though irate voice, different from the previous man's. In fact, it belonged to a woman. "You dare attack my minions and think you can just get away with it? Not only that, but you deliberately destroyed my temple! You mangy mother fucker! How dare you do this and try to thwart my plans of taking over this miserable place!"

Kazuma uttered not a single word, even after the wench had maliciously dealt him a kick in the gut. She then forced him over onto his back, kicking him once again with her booted foot.

She wore purple clad, which was a casual slip and thigh high matching boots, dressed in all purple from her clothes, her gaudy makeup, and down to even the painting on her long nails. She had dark lilac hair that was shorter in the back while longer in the front, her medium brunette roots revealed that her tresses were not naturally this unique color. Her skin was a deathly pale, signifying that she was no doubt a creature of the living dead. But what really caught him was her magenta eyes, they were shining ever so fatally at him.

A fleet of ghouls emerged from out of the outer darkness, surrounding them as in a circle. The dead just stood there, moaning and groaning, as though waiting for a command.

"Mistress, please--" The male vampire tried to speak, but was cut short by her heated rebukes.

"Shut up!" She barked. "You're useless now, because clearly you have failed at being useful." She paused for a moment, now studying her fallen trespasser with a sneer. "And this human is apparently a meddlesome demon. I can't believe this weakling caused you to shit your pants, Yasuo."

The other vampire rustled in the background, finally standing up. By the looks of it, he had been lacerated all over and had burned marks in the shape of handprints.

She smelled the air. "He's definitely not a virgin, but he's not been claimed either. Only blood, sweat, and fear. …And I think he's a faggot." She said the latter with a short laugh.

"Eww. Well, my lady…" Yasuo spoke charily. He closed in, careful to not tread to anywhere he was not welcomed. "…is he dead?"

"No." She answered simply, taking her customized large caliber shooter and aiming it right for the head. "But I am about to make sure that he is."

Kazuma vacant stare into nothingness continued, his mind jarred, his senses jaded. The first direct hit had caught him off guard, so much it had knocked him down for a loop, now paralyzed without a cognitive reaction. The side effects were prolonging rather beautifully for the true head vampire.

His own blood was pooling around him. His secret markings then appeared all over his body as his wound struggled to heal and close itself. The ammo that the woman had used was far from being ordinary, perhaps even dipped in poison. It sure as hell felt like it, his body wracked with an incredible amount of pain.

The head vampire stood in awe while the other gaped. Neither had ever seen anything like this before, wondering to themselves as to what was happening. Figuring that it was better to be rid of the detective now rather than wait to see what would unfold, the woman re-aimed and placed her finger upon the trigger to fire.

Right then, there was a loud clinking sound followed by a thunderous boom, the sound of metal whacking against the marred stone walls.

The vampires turned their immediate attention towards the two large double doors in front of the temple.

The doors themselves then fell off their hinges and landed onto the floor.

And there stood a extremely tall and daunting silhouette of a man. A black fog ominously rolled around the foreboding figure, providing that extra eerie feeling as the smoke wriggled and thrashed like living tentacles, emitting whispers in a forgotten language. All the more spine-chilling was glowing red eyes, which shined with such intensity it was though they could burn holes right through one's very own soul.

The vampires instinctively backed up, now trembling in their boots.

"What do we have here?" The mysterious figure spoke as he sauntered his way in, his boots clicking against the ground. "Demon wannabes, humans who dire so much power that they were willing to see their own souls for it. How pathetic." The smog at lastly dissipated, gone.

By that time, Kazuma had gathered enough strength to turn and face the new arrival. Recognizing who it really was, he could not withhold the smile that then formed upon his bloodied lips. Sure, he was not all there, far off to be exact… But he finally had enough sense now to know what was going on.

"You're nothing but trash. Not even good enough to lick the shit off the bottom of my boots." Reficul remarked cynically, his trench coat blossoming outward like a bomb when he came to sudden halt. "I wouldn't even let you lick my balls if you paid me."

"That's…original…" the redhead commented, playing the part of the peanut gallery.

Reficul looked over and down at him. His expression was stoic, but his eyes showed much rage.

"Who? Who are you?!" The villainess demanded incredulously.

"I'm going to break you." Reficul merely said with a menacing grimace, his words dripping with an urgent need for vengeance. He had uttered such words as a promise, not a threat, his hatred shining clearly through and he directed it all right at them.

Instantaneously, the demon flat-out whacked Yasuo's head clean off in one hit, all the while sending the lesser vampire through the window. In a flash, the minion was as good as gone.

After having witnessed such a gruesome act, the head vampiress grabbed her machine gun from behind her and began release rapid fire.

"SHOOT HIM! SHOOT HIM!" She demanded of her ghouls, who then obediently picked up their arsenal and joined in.

Reficul stood there mockingly, grinning like a wicked hatter as the bullets ripped through and tore into his body, even so far as having some of the meat blasted right off his bones.

They had kept relentlessly shooting him to the point of either running out of ammunition or when he had finally collapsed, which had both occurred right about the same time.

The damage was brutal and should have been lethal. If not, hopefully he was incapacitated. …At least that is what the lady believed as she began to cackle and crow.

"Now, that's what I call pathetic." She ridiculed, grinning to herself as she felt a sense of accomplishment. "He just stood there like a dumbass and took it like a bitch. What a freak!"

She continued on laughing out of spite.

Kazuma stared wide-eyed at the bloody carcass of what was once his stalker, a great disbelief sweeping over him. It could not be over. It just could not be.

"Ref!" He called out, his voice strained and hoarse. He gargled on his own blood, failing to desperately hold back his own tears from shedding.

Why was he crying? Oh, why was he crying now after all these years? He did not even know the guy that well. Hell, he barely new him at all. And yet, it felt as if he had lost someone that was incredibly important to him, the most dearest person yet. His heart panged, it was already hurting.

"So, that was his name…" She mused. "And by the looks of it. He was your lover, wasn't he?" She annoyingly began to laugh yet again. "I killed your boyfriend! Tell me, how does that make you feel?"

His eyes widened when he heard her make such an assumption. Furthermore, having to endure her laughter was more torture than the amount of physical pain he was experiencing.

Just when he was about to refute her remarks, everyone became silent, having now at last realized that the fallen demon's blood began to magically draw itself back into where it once came.

A great wind blew around the bloody pile, creating a mighty draft to fill the place, blowing all that stood back. That creepy black smoke appeared yet again, and with it came that terrible smell of burning sulfur. The wind picked up, becoming much stronger, and before them the body levitated off the floor and to which then stood. Piece by piece, every part of demon was right back in place.

"Oh…dear…God… SHIT!" The lady tried to back up without losing her footing, her eyes widened in horror as she watched what transpired before her very own eyes. "What is he? A GOD? Or The Devil?"

Reficul grinned fiendishly in response, which then widened and turned to look rather insane. He then proceeded to animalistically stick his tongue out right at her, and it was inhumanly long like a lizard's or a dog's. It was a silent statement, as if he was The Big Bad Wolf or the terrible dragon in a fairytale.

A countless number of demonic blood-shot eyes appeared within his shadow and silhouette, reminding Kazuma of the green fire youkai from his past. …Only Ref's irises were not purple, but belligerent blood-thirsty red.

Unlike Kazuma, Reficul did held not such an honor code when it came to dealing with his enemies. In fact, gender never ever mattered to him one single solitary bit. Her being a woman would neither stop or slow him down from causing her to meet her maker.

He IS The Prince of Darkness, and he further displayed such when he eloquently made a stance and destroyed the remaining ghouls from right where they stood.

His movements were like a medieval waltz; graceful yet solemn as a sepulcher. He crossed his arms over before him, then moved his hands upward, forming an X. His fingers curled and he finally separated long upper limbs from each other, pushing outwards and then raising them up into the air before he jerked them back down again. His hair swayed in the wind and blew upwards into the air above him.

One by one, the dead fell, having been sliced into tiny pieces; like cubed steak. The woman stared in absolute horror, watching her army fall.

This little distraction would cost her greatly, for that is when the demon grabbed her by the throat and hauled her up into the air. Her choked and mangled screams only gave away to even louder ones as he then grabbed a hold of the hide upon her chest above her heart, twisted the flesh like cloth only to inevitably skin her alive.

After having disposed of her largest known organ, Reficul then summoned enough energy and blasted the bitch from here to kingdom come, to which then she burned away without a wing or a prayer.

And Kuwabara had been fortunate to not see any of it, due to the angle he happened to be lying in.

However, Kazuma did feel bad for the lady, but not enough to mourn over the loss of her life. She was the one who had shot him, after all. Besides, he was just too tired from the blood loss to be giving any sort of emotional sympathy.

It was not even a quarter of a minute later when Reficul had appeared by his side. The detective turned his gaze towards the demon and watched as he knelt down.

Reficul reached out his hand for him to take, in search for a sign that the orange haired lad now trusted him. The raven haired demon was grinning like a hatter again.

Seeing no other reason as to why not, Kazuma gathered enough physical strength within himself and tried to move. His body trembled as he tried his best to place his hand within the demon's.

Reficul's fingers curled beneath Kazuma's palm, capturing his finger's within his own and held on as he then began to transfer his own energy to him. His smile became more of charming one, his expression now softer and doting.

The detective's eyes widened slightly, realizing that his wound was finally healing. Kazuma unconscientiously returned a smile and closed his eyes peacefully. And now since the danger was over, his red hot markings had finally vanished.

***

_"…All my feelings have been eating all of me, fearing that something is wrong with me…"_

_"…I live a hollow life…falling all this time…falling down this time…I fall down…living a hollow life…"_

_"…All alone…"_

_Kazuma was a strong person, never once crying over any amount of physical pain. And no one knew that better than Ref, but he had also gathered the fact that the orange haired man had been reflecting upon too many things. Yet, instead of letting it all out or finding a decent outlet, the detective had been bottling it all up inside for a number of years._

_The emotional damage and inner conflicts had been slowly destroying him, bringing him down to his fall. Dragging him, kicking and screaming._

_His friends had to be the most ignorant of fools to not realize or pick up on what he was going through. He was practically a living disaster zone, even though it could not be seen on the surface._

_Oh, but Ref knew. And he saw it. And he also witnessed the short lived moments of when the boy had let his resolve down, revealing his true feelings, just for a peak. Of course, they had seen those moments as well, but leave it to them to believe that their orange haired companion would always bounce right back up. They had clearly failed to see the inevitable danger._

_No one but he had heard this curly ginger head's silent screams._

_Did they honestly expect him to stay after all he had undergone?_

_And Ref could not refrain from not only blaming them, but also himself. He should have stepped in years ago, should have made himself known to him. He long since desired to be in every part of his life, to take him away from the aches and pangs, his sorrows and his suffering. Alas, he had been prohibited due to the barriers that those psychics placed around his lover._

_His world was now that of a million shattered dreams, trapped in a carnival of souls, and memories were kept in cryptic diaries written in shadow on every page._

_The world had forsaken him, yet they expected him to give too much, counting on him be the one to make the sacrifices. But what is finally said and done, they all intend to then just leave him broken…and to rot._

_He had came all the way for nothing.  
_

_Most humans were selfish and had not one bit of concern for him, while others found reasons as to why they hated him. Demons believed him to be a worthless loser, a weakling and a charlatan. Furthermore, they degraded him for the fact that he was a human. Always calling him names and judging him, showing no respect whatsoever._

_Not that Ref's life was any better, being that he is both feared and hated by all… Even his own father had loathed his existence, always trying to find ways to inconspicuously end him. Though, his father was a mere fool for having made him ceaselessly train, sending him off to wars, fights, and battles in hopes that he would one day parish._

_What did not kill him only made him stronger, much to the his old man's dread and displeasure._

_Eventually, Reficul had turned the tables around and got rid of him permanently, especially after the crimes that the wicked king had committed against his own flesh and blood. And believe him, he made sure to make a spectacle of it, just to show his kingdom who was now boss. It has been given record that he is most definitely the bloodiest and most fearsome figure in all of existence._

_Fate was no doubt conspiring against them both._

_And it seemed as though heaven was trying to break Kazuma down yet trying everything to keep him out._

_The latter part was just fine with Ref, though, for he did not wish to lose him ever again. And heaven did not seem to be all that grand of a place anyway. It was overrated, just like most of Spirit World was, including Makai. His home and world was far better, and it was what it really was, especially since now he is in rule there._

***

"My God, this place is a mess!"

"Are you sure that we're not too late, Koenma?" A certain green-eyed redhead inquired. He watched the baby demi-god fidget as they marched down any empty yet carcass filled street.

The toddler, now in the form of a young man, was reading the screen of what looked to be a location device. Apparently, he must have slipped a chip into their old friend's pocket or was placed somewhere upon his clothing.

The Spirit World Prince looked at him and then whined and twiddled his fingers nervously in response to that question. "…I…don't know."

"Hn. Then what would be the point of coming here then if the city had already met it's fate?"

"Ever so cynical as ever, aren't you, Hiei?" A blue-haired fairy asked rhetorically, a reaper also known as Botan.

"What I don't get is why you bothered hiring the oaf in the first place." The fire youkai remarked. "If he has changed as you all claimed he has, then he should still be alive. If not… Then he's dead."

"Hiei!" She shouted, flabbergasted and appalled by hearing such a statement.

The taller brown haired girl simply smoked her cigarette. Shizuru, Kazuma's sister, had decided to tag along, whether they agreed to it or not. More than likely, she forced them to agree in letting her come.

Yukina, however, remained back with Keiko, who were both staying in a hotel not too far from here, since they did not wish to be completely left out. Hopefully, with Keiko here, Yusuke would have no other choice but to come. At least that was the game plan. Sure, the two had a bad dispute, but their relationship was far from being over. He was just choosing to be an ass by going to Makai.

"Actually," Koenma spoke up, drawing their attention to him. "According to this locater, he's pretty close now. In fact, it says that he's coming our way… Immediately in front of us!"

They immediately came to a stop and looked ahead of them, expecting for Kuwabara to appear through the haze from the low drifting cloud that filled their atmosphere.

A peculiar dark mass had suddenly emerged and apparently approaching their vicinity. It was a rather large and odd shape, which caused the observers to wonder who it actually was. The scanner said it was Kazuma, but this thing was definitely taller if not larger in size.

Finally it all came into view.

From out of the thick mist stepped none other than Reficul, who was essentially had an exhausted Kuwabara, whom was safely being carried in his arms. …Like a bride.

In a heartbeat, their jaws dropped and hung open in astonishment. They were all bug-eyed, their pupils now small, this was especially Hiei's and Koenma's case.

Shizuru's cigarette had even fell away from her lips, landing onto the asphalt by her feet. However, her surprise did not last very long. After a quick study of the stranger, she picked up something and began to quietly chuckle to herself. She knew something that they did not know.

Hiei, Kurama, and Botan were inquisitive, though for different reasons. Many questions rang through their heads, to which they were whispering amongst each other. Like:

Question: "Why is he here?" Answer: "I don't know."

Question: "Do they know each other?" Answer: "Looks like it. Then again… Maybe… Surely it is merely a coincidence?"

Question: "Why is HE holding him like that?" Answer: "Does it look like we know, woman? Better yet… Why is HE even holding him at all?"

Question: "Does Kuwabara even know who that person is?" Answer: "Probably not. Best not to tell him. After all, we don't want him to be freaking out over the fact that he's in the arms of the Demon-God who is The God of All Demons…Let alone the Prince of…"

And then those questions drastically changed when they beheld the physical changes that had taken place in their friend. That raised both concern, shock, and large quantities of curiosity.

Question: "What in the world happened to him?" Answers: "Does it look like we even know? Aren't you the one who had said he had changed?"

And as for Koenma…

"Oh, hell… Why is HE here?" He asked rather irritably, not at all happy to see The Dark Prince of Hell. "Shoo! Go back to hell from wince you came!"

A low growl rumbled in Reficul's chest. "As much as I'd really love to, my business is now here…" He spoke with such harshness, his tone riding on the edge of callousness. "You can like it or hate it, but where he goes I go." He gritted his sharp teeth and then grinned dangerously at him.

The Reikai Prince gulped as a chill traveled up and down his spine. He then proceeded to whine.

Already, this was proving out to be his worst nightmare, especially now since his most hated adversary was now here to stay. Didn't he have enough trouble as it is already with his father breathing down his back all the time about his mistakes and now about the end of the world? Oh, why him?

Kazuma just lied still in the demon prince's arms, his mind caught in a daze. He paid very little mind towards anyone. Hell, had not even hit him as to who were all currently there among them.

"I suppose we best find a place to stay…"

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

Sorry for the wait. I had been real busy before I had finally got to it.

I hope it did not turn out so bad…

There's more to come in the next chapter.

Poor Kazuma is too tired to pay the others any mind…as of right now.

Please continue to read and review. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.


	10. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

For this chapter, I had to redo my research and homework since I had lost a bit of my information I had saved up in the past. I did some math, too, and I tried to fit this well with both fiction and non-fiction. I did my research in making this whole story, but like most authors who write fiction, I also add some more fiction to it to make it all fit and all the more appealing. This story is a melting pot of beliefs and cultures.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Undecided at this time.

Kinnys: Thanks! And sorry for the wait.

EricaAuksi: Yes, I've noticed it appeared like that, too. Oi. But I've read so many mangas, comics, and literature where demons or gods from hell behaved in similar ways. I've seen a lot of horror movies, too. I've even read lots of dark materials like grimoire, books of the dead, Necronomicon, and even some of Aleister Crowley's work and books about alchemy. I pretty much added all the characteristics and their traits together and this came out... The forces of hell have actually have been noted as to be one of the more powerful of forces in existence, along with heaven… And Ref is the literal personification of hell.

Dark: Yes. I agree with you. He was just…too much to handle, too fast.

Ev: Oh, believe me… I won't make him be an asshole without a reason. Everyone has a reason, even if it is a subconscious one. Hell, Ref can be a major asshole.

* * *

**THE INTERLUDE**

_She might have been above average height for a female human, but she was still considerably small in comparison with him._

_She was considered to be the type of person who should have seen nothing in him, at least not anything good anyways. She never trusted demons and neither did she trust many humans. And yet she was completely loyal to those whom she did actually trust._

_"Do you believe in love? Do you believe in destiny?" A forlorn voice whispered in the darkness. "…True love may come only in a thousand lifetimes."_

_"…They took her from me…"_

***

_Over a thousand years ago, during the Heian period… Which happened to be the final classical period yet also very peak of the Japanese Imperial court._

_A great tragedy had taken place seven hundred and thirty-five years prior to King Raizen's critical decision to no longer use humans as a valuable food source, which that had taken place three-hundred and two years before the demons had been forced to remain in Makai. To be more precise, it was the tenth century AD, year 926._

_During that time, there was once a woman with a vast array of supernatural capabilities that human kind could not explain or comprehend._

_Most of the humans believed and revered her to be a goddess… A deity in the flesh, which is what man has come to describe as an Avatar. Buddhism was the main religion of the people at that time. And a vast majority of the people were quite very underprivileged, poor as dirt, yet still remained in a system of clans even though they were being dominated by the more powerful aristocratic families._

_In truth, no human being really knew what she was or how to explain the phenomenal powers that she possessed. Again, mankind could only surmise and try to understand as to what they were witnessing. Nevertheless, many had made claims about how she must have came from the sky above. And those who had the privilege to see her, often had stated that she had shined like the sun by day and her complexion like the moon at night._

_According to the ancient records made by human ancestors, ones that had been long since forgotten, she possessed many gifts; like telekinesis, levitation of one's self, obtaining enlightenment, healing, even the power to repair a devastatingly mangled body even if it had been turned into ash, and that included resurrecting the dead. …And amongst these extraordinary powers was the gift of flight. She literally could take up in the air, just like a bird._

_Hence why people believed her to be an avatar._

_However, others had feared and rejected her… Or better yet, despised her because of their own misunderstandings and their refusal to think outside of the box. These were some of the aristocratic parties, which had inevitably turned the majority of the clans against her due to their influence and persuasive abilities. Effectively, they had claimed her to be a youkai cleverly disguised in the form of a woman or was at least the half-breed child of a even more powerful and greater demon. In other words, she could not be trusted._

_Back then, mankind possessed a much different outlook on things, but as always, man-kind retained that primitive aspect to destroy whatever they happen to be afraid of whether beliefs had something to do with it or not._

_The true story is bathed in treachery as it is also in lies. A great dispatch of deception._

_The powerful aristocratic clans themselves of that time were amongst the greatest of her enemies, destroying whatever little information that they could manage to find about her in hopes to erase her from all of history. Some of the people had speculated that they had extra helping hands in achieving such a goal, ones with power, while others had refused to question any of it._

_There were once countless numbers of tales concerning her and about her origins, but sadly only one had managed to survive after all these centuries…_

_A story known as "The Tale of The Bamboo Cutter", also known as "The Tale of Kaguya Hime". It is a very old story about an old and childless bamboo cutter who happened to stumble upon a baby girl as small as the size of a human thumb. This girl grew up to be unimaginably beautiful whose hair shined like the moon and many princes from around asked for her hand in marriage, especially the Emperor himself. However, she had turned them all down. And eventually, one day, she went up into the sky, ascending from the earth on the very top Mount Fuji itself. Her guardians and the Emperor mourned for their loss._

_Conversely, this story is but a tall tale that had manifested from the wide spread of stories being told all around. But Kaguya Hime did, in fact, at one time existed._

_Like the fictional tale had depicted, she was far from being that of the average human girl. And amazingly, some had speculated that she may have had lived over hundreds of years, perhaps even when civilization in Japan first began way back in B.C._

_Whether this is true or not, no one knows. No one has yet to discover any sign of her remains. And neither can Spirit World locate her spirit, although they refuse to give any amount of information, not even release a mere tidbit. They refuse to acknowledge that she may have at one time even existed, having sealed away the information about her into their private vaults as ordered by the gods themselves in an attempt to keep it all a mystery._

_But unlike the story had described, her physical appearance was entirely different. And neither had she been found in a mysteriously glowing stalk of bamboo. She had been part of the earliest members of what is now known as the Kuwabara clan, hence the sacred ground or province where she had originated from had been named as such years later._

_Indeed, there had been those who had fallen in love with her, especially the Emperor himself. But likewise, the story was wrong when it had spoken of who the Emperor actually was. In fact, the Emperor was not even a man, not even remotely close to being a human, but was a god himself. And the mentioning of her refusal to marry him had also been another untruth that had been told. Furthermore, the biggest lie of all had to be that of her departure into heaven or her return to the moon…_

_No, Kaguya did not leave._

_In actuality, she had been murdered. In fact, had been betrayed, framed by those who had made an effort to destroy her for whatever reason they had held behind their motives._

_And it was her death that had caused the "Emperor" to no longer hold back the vast majority of demons from raiding into Ningenkai in search for human meat._

_It was a blow that Spirit World had been so unprepared for, much like the fall of the angels. They already had enough issues when it came to dealing with The Fallen Race and their despicable acts and treachery formed against them. And now that the demons were now free to do whatever they pleased, all of Spirit World had no choice but to mark the "Emperor" as one of their worst of enemies._

_And "The Tale of The Bamboo Cutter" had been accepted as a myth created and written by a man who had spawned her from his creative pool of imagination._

*V*

_…Daunting as she was as well affectionate…_

_…Full of antics as she was solemn…_

_…Silly though she was wise…_

_…Carefree, though she was not careless…._

_She even had extreme bursts of energy, causing her at times to become hyperactive._

_And her most admirable trait of all was that she was a lady of honor and a loving and devoted person._

_She was an unusual woman…_

_With her eyes that shined like the stars, her moon white skin, and her long and curly fiery tresses._

_Her hair was remarkably different and was one of the first of her attributes to be distinguished from the rest of the Asian people. Her bangs dangled loosely with a longer fluke in the middle, the sides draping and framing a slightly angular heart shaped face as they reached down and gently caressed voluptuous breasts, all the while the back passionately fell down in a "V" formation, the tip reaching past the rather full and round backside._

_She possessed long, lean and muscular arms which stretched down and ended in square shaped hands and long digits. These hands were calloused from many a hard day's work and from endless bouts of violent hostility, not soft and gentle as they should be. Long and curved strong yet also powerful legs, thighs and calves full and strapping without hardly any ounce of fat. A firm and curvy torso, pectorals and abs built to withstand any human's kick or punch, and lean muscle all over smoothly moving and tensing with every movement made. She had the figure of a goddess, but was built like a warrior._

_She had refined facial features with a slightly pointy yet round chin and soft high cheekbones. Below a concave or upturned nose was a pair of fairly average yet fleshy lush lips. She was gently boyish and somewhat roguish, but also very appealing to look at._

_Her eyes were of the most unusual to be seen thus far. Quite often, her irises were seen to be black that shined with an unusual radiance, though would sometimes appear to be a dark cognac amber. However, these eyes were often fickle in nature, never promising to remain calm as still water in a secluded lake. When pushed, these orbs would become like living pools of raging fire, which gave her that intense gaze, her eyes blazing like the sun. These eyes were surrounded by a distinctive eye shape, regularly holding a dreamy or pensive air, and above them were thin and intense eyebrows._

_Over all, she was an exotic beauty._

_But most of her body's striking features were hidden beneath her saintly garb. She was once a priestess, but also an Ancient, having been born and raised inside of her family's sacred temple. She had robes, the staff and the bamboo hat that's style originated from the peasant workers in China._

_But Kaguya was not entirely a Buddhist, though she did practice some of their traditions and methods. Surprisingly, she was rather a New Ager before the time of the New Age Movement had come to pass and before it became widely known. New Age had not even reached Japan in that era, which lead some to further question as to who she was._

_Known to only Spirit World, this "New Age" was fundamentally the old ways of the Fallen Race. It was the way of the angels, who was responsible for the wide spread of occult practices and the human's interest in achieving enlightenment. They were also the cause for the humans' interest in the paranormal. Humans are not supposed to know anything about the dead.  
_

_Regardless, the temple keepers had considered her existence to be nothing short of a blessing._

_Most of the Kuwabara clan had started out as nobles who were part of a clan Ancients, which were in search for a higher meaning and a higher call. They were incredibly gifted psychics to begin with, but some were in search for a higher element, an enlightenment from the gods. For years they had sought for achieving their divine selves as well as answers to the meaning of life itself. And they believed that there efforts had been rewarded._

_A god had appeared before one of the women in their family, who in the end had impregnated her. Nine months later, Kaguya had been born. However, the full revelation had not been told until the clan had realized how out of the ordinary that the young child was._

_And the people of her village loved her, but equally feared and respected her, never desiring to anger her in any sort of fashion. They feared her rage and power. In spite of that, they would still make requests in order to witness her display of power._

_At that time, she was not a mere avatar, but a demi-goddess._

_And the Kuwabara clan themselves had tried all that they could to keep her safe from the outside world. Her mother had died shortly after her birth, so she had no one but the rest of her village to look after her._

_Unfortunately, once she had matured enough, they had failed to keep her a secret any longer…_

_For eventually the Chinese Empire and the Imperial Aristocrats had became involved. Additionally, the demons had became steadily interested in her, whether it was to steal her away or to eradicate her. Moreover, the Fallen Race and Rekai had significantly became the two forces that effected her life the most._

_They all made her life to be severely difficult, filling her life with much pain and strife. In shortest and sweetest words, a miserable hellhole._

_The Chinese Emperor wanted her for himself, having gotten wind of her extraordinary existence, and thereby sent arrays of his militias to seize her. The demons haunted her day and night, launching attacks upon her at every chance they could get. The aristocrats and the people eventually wanted her gone, to go away one way or another. The Devils had made claims of her being one of their own, thus why she was very important to them. And Spirit World sought for her to be destroyed._

_Mind you, she was far from being that of a damsel in distress._

_Unexpectedly, she was a master of swordsmanship._

_She had decided to learn to fight by sword when she had discovered such a weapon left peculiarly in the forest nearby her village during a heavy winter when she was merely fourteen._

_She had fallen into a cavern after she had been chased by the Daitengu, only to stumble upon a peculiar glowing object. It was a Japanese Katakana, which lied upon an engraved alter surrounded by enormous statues of warriors whom appeared to be other worldly; all which was designed out of jadeite. It was if someone had left the weapon there for the chance of it to be found. All the more strange was a low hum could be heard coming from the incandescent katana itself, and upon picking it up, the metal of the blade sang stridently._

_Once climbing out of the cavern, she took the blade back to the village with her. Oddly enough, the weapon was not that hard for her to carry and it was very easy for her to wield._

_She kept both her practice and the sword as cloak-and-dagger as much as she could possible._

_That sword also had supernatural properties as well, it was far from being an ordinary weapon. For one, it had enhanced her psychic abilities along with enabling her to harness spirit energy into solid energy._

_Years passed and she soon became an adult._

_And what problems that had started out as mere demon attacks and hauntings by apparitions eventually developed into more severe, even catastrophic, circumstances._

_And in the midst of all that hatred, somehow love was found…and in all the most unexpected of places._

***

They were now currently at Master Gong's shrine. Although the old man had never seen the demon prince before in person ever in his life and neither had he known any of the others, the martial arts master allowed them all to take refuge there without question.

All he had said was; "Don't touch my stuff. Do so, I'll beat you like a small dog…with a stick!" To which then, he proceeded off to further become drunk. He did not reply to any of their greetings, just muttered something in Chinese under his breath and made sounds similar to what a dog would make.

Botan thought the old man to be unorthodox, while Shizuru calmly stated that he was a lunatic.

Oh, yes, they were in for a real treat coming from this guy. Just ask Kazuma and he would tell you that he is not at all like Genkai. Of course, he seems distant right now, but he customarily behaves like that when he makes an effort to get all boozed up. Just wait until he starts singing and telling jokes, let alone nonsensical words of wisdom. Sometimes he tells you a little bit too much. And wait until they see what he cooks for food, too.

Reficul, of course, had paid the Master very little attention. He had left the others to bare witness to the sickening display of the old and dried up coot guzzling down very much of booze in his large old-styled canteens fashioned out of gourds.

Eventually, the five of them had left to retrieve the other two females. An excellent excuse, yes, to escape the senile old man whose got the case of the crazies.

Ref had carried Kazuma to one of the rooms, the very one where the fiery haired one had stayed while he had sought for training. It did not take long for the detective to fall quickly into slumber.

Reficul studied the younger man as he slumbered beneath the sheets of the roll out bed. He, on the other hand, was leaning against the wall, sitting close beside him in Indian style.

He looked so much like her.

The ginger curly locks.

The pale skin.

His eyes.

Everything.

He appeared more like her than he ever did before.

Kaguya, his past lover. Their love was to be perpetual.

What was meant to be forever, tragically came to an end.

Taken away from him, stolen. It seemed as though both the opposing forces of good and evil had came to at least one agreement with one another, that is to break them apart and hopefully keep them permanently separated.

She was his mate, the light to his darkness, his life, the very meaning of his existence and much more.

Oh, but only if they knew that committing such a fiendish crime would do to him. Quite the opposite, they knew exactly what they were doing and who they would be up against before they had executed their disgraceful schemes.

And for a time, they regretted it. All of them. The humans, the demons, and all of those in Spirit World. They each had a taste of his incurable wrath.

But did they once ever cared for the ones they've hurt? No.

Selfishly, it had always been about themselves and their own happiness. Never her's. Never his.

They killed her. Only then to misplace her soul, finding little to no trace to where she might have gone. And worst of all, the gods of Rekai had damned her, and her end had been anything but peaceful.

And knowing that he had suffered from a broken heart, sought once to be rid of him as well. Or at least, that is what they tried to do. Victory seemed so easy to at last obtain, but their attempts were far from being successful.

Their actions filled him with much belligerence. And believe him, he still manages to carry a grudge against them to this very day. It was the price they have yet to pay for the torments that they had bestowed upon him. It was not in his nature to move on.

Sleep never came easy for him from that day on. Whenever he closed his eyes, the pain would just resurface. The memories would cut like a knife with a blade lined with misery.

***

_Everyone already knows about the Three Kings of Makai, whom just so happened to be a few of the most powerful demons and the greatest of fighters in all of existence. The Mazoku clan themselves being at the top of the charts. But the Mazoku are actually number three on that precise list._

_Additionally, over them was a far much greater ruler, a god of darkness which likewise rules and reigns over Hell itself._

_Now, this dark god, they surely did fear, however his son they dreaded all the more._

_He is ranked as being one of those who is on the list as to being number one, sharing the position with other great and power deities._

_Though demons can possess powers like gods, they are still merely demons. They are not even nearly as powerful as some of the Kami, which are the most powerful of beings. The Fallen God of the Angels who is the ancient force of Karma, The Prince of Hell, The Creators of the Earth and Sea, The Goddess of Death, The King of The Dead, and The Creators of The Universe and life within it. None of which have been stated in order as to who is more powerful. Oddly enough, some of the highest of deities actually possess horns. It's like that with demons and devils, too._

_The Prince of Hell is a dark knight bathed in blood; his girdle fastened tightly, each metallic plate of armor fitted perfectly with every rippling muscle, each piece was strapped to his lean yet gangling form, and additionally he was armed to the teeth. He is quicker than lightning, his movements as mysterious as the night, and more terrible was he than that of the sound of a multitude of war horses and thereby an army in a hot pursuit of battle. If not counting his own talents and gifted abilities, he was revered as a ruthless fighter and knew how to maneuver every weapon imaginable. The dark prince himself was the most daunting figure amongst his "own kind", whom were the very demons whom he claimed to despise._

_The demons themselves, if not only feared him, likewise reviled him the same and considered him to be a tyrant and a monster. A ravenous dog, a hell hound, some have called him. In fact, he has many names, but some simply refer to him as "The Beast", "The Dragon", or "Ryuujin" which means "dragon god". It has been said by countless numbers that he is more devil than demon. There is obviously something more to him than what meets the eye, for he is very far from your original case the demon species. And the usual name given unto him, that which he prefers or uses for himself the most, is "Reficul"; the backwards moniker for what the English speaking humans intend to identify him as._

_He is not valued by anyone, not even by his own father who blames him for the tragic death of his mate due to complications in childbirth. He has, for better words, lacked love and affection in all of his time._

_He is foreboding and daunting in all appearance, demeanor and power. He is the true personification and the epitome of Hell itself, the very powers of that of that terrible place course throughout his entire being._

_Though he is truly a full-blooded god, his lineage dates back to him being the second most purest demon in existence since his mother was considered to be the original goddess of death, his father being one of the first of demons to actually exist. This also makes him the Prince of All Demons, though he does not intentionally rule over Makai._

_He has no interest in other demons either, unlike his father. They are, after all from where he stands, entirely inferior and could never surmount to him even if they tried. In fact, he holds an uncompromising grudge against all other demons, not once finding any worth or anything favorable in or about what he calls to be the lower life forms. He abhors and loathes the abominations with a passion, believing most of them to be nothing more than refuse. And their inexcusable acts of treachery did not help them any either._

_…The gods are sure he has his reasons, at any rate, something had to have driven him beyond the point of insanity. This esteemed gentleman is a complete psychopath, let alone a loose cannon. Most of all, he is certainly hard to give orders to or restrain…_

_After all, the demon-god's power is most formidable, a dark knight risen from the sacred order of the dragon, renowned for his inconceivable talents, his superb skills in battle and his unfailing ability to win wars._

_Over the eons of time, he has taken down countless hordes of demons whilst serving as his own personal one man army, all to which he had done so ruthlessly and cruelly that details of the events remain unspeakable. Of all the techniques he uses, his most favorite method of execution is the impalement of his foes, providing them a slow and torturous demise. In fact, the more slower and more agonizing the dead, the better. He is one to drive nails into your head and insist that you better leave them there._

_…Perhaps it was his influence that had inspired the Turks, though one could say he could have been the one who had given Vlad Tepes himself the very power and influence he lusted after, and thus Dracula had been borne… Instead of it having been the Devils who could have been responsible, since because they were the ones behind the fall of all mankind._

_Nevertheless…_

_Prince Narakumaru always left the battlefields painted with the victims' life fluids, hence why he is highly noted to have had shed the most blood on record._

_Take heed that he is not for the faint-hearted._

***

The following day in the wee hour in the morning…

Everyone but Kazuma had trouble getting any rest last night. What with all of the questions ringing through their mind and the old man roaming around outside on the property. They had agreed to the having the women to all share the same room, while the boys resided in separate quarters.

Hiei and Ref were the ones who had not slept at all. The Dark Prince kept an ever vigilant eye upon the sleeping detective. But Hiei, however, when he was about to eventually rest upon a lofty branch of the nearby Sakura tree, something odd yet seemingly far-fetched had caught his eye.

Down upon the ground below, the old man was practicing Kong-fu. When he first came out, the human was just whistling away to a peppy foreign tune. Hiei rolled his eyes and merely thought him to be but a fool.

At first, as the teacher warmed up, everything seemed perfectly normal. Most would have just even considered him to not only be very skilled, but amazingly still very agile for an old man.

But Hiei had caught something that stroke his eye in the most peculiar way, causing a sudden flood of bewilderment to flood over him. The fire demon even had to rub his eyes twice, which was very rare coming from him.

The moonlight revealed a different type of story, one that not even he had been prepared for.

Like Genkai, Master Gong also had the ability to summon up energy or power from within himself. The youkai was not amazed by that at all, really. But soon the old man picked up the pace and his movements became real swift and inhuman. He was as fast as Yusuke, or even faster. And he was emulating every movement known to man out there and then some, and furthermore it appeared that the man could leap to excelled heights and distances.

And just when the demon thought it could not get any more far-fetched, right from out of the blue, that is when his third eye kicked into gear…

The human had a long thin tail, prehensile and fury. And the lines and wrinkles that had marked his skin as once been seen before… The old man's skin was now as smooth as river stone, that is what skin was shown. Most of his body was covered in reddish golden hair, or what people usually call fur.

Apparently the old man was more ancient than he appeared to be, which rose even more questions to add upon the already long pre-existing list.

Who was this man and what was he? From what his Jagan eye was telling him, this man was not even nearly close to being that of a demon, and yet, he had the appearance of an ape with the capacity to stand upright upon two legs. He certainly was not from anywhere around here.

Finally, as the morning sun peaked over the horizon, the Martial Arts Teacher disappeared from the scene, right out of the demon's sight.

*

"Shizuru! Wake up!"

The tall coffee colored haired groaned as she felt her world quake abruptly around her, only to then realize that she was the only one being shaken. She opened her eyes to only see a set of brown eyes filled with panic staring right back at her.

"Keiko, it's the crack of dawn." She reprimanded as she calmly removed the other girl's hands from her shoulders. "Dammit. What's gotten you all stirred up?"

The younger girl positioned herself back upon her knees and watched as her friend sat up, only then to look down in shame for having deliberately awakened the other woman. "I'm sorry. It's just that I could not sleep at all last night."

"You and me both, sister." Was Shizuru's reply as she reached for lighter and cigarettes, fumbling around in one of the pockets in her pants.

Keiko was silent for a moment, debating whether or not confess what had been on her mind. After noticing the girl's reluctant behavior, the psychic buzzed for some answers.

"Okay, what's been eatin' ya?"

Keiko sighed and then shifted her eyes to the right, a clear sign of timidity or detachment. Of course, being that the two of them were close friends, Shizuru instinctively knew that her companion must have suffered from another reoccurring dream.

Misses Urameshi was not psychic, but her subconscious did manage to pick up on things.

However, this time, Shizuru was at loss for words as to what to say. She could comfort the smaller woman, but then she would be stepping over the line. That was Yusuke's job, even though he sucked at it. And right then, the older woman was not about to go there… She already had enough on her mind to handle as of right now.

Yusuke just does not know how good he has it, or how lucky he is to have such an amazing lady such as Keiko. And if he did, he sure as hell doesn't act like it.

A jerk for love her ass.

That man, for sure without any ounce of doubt, is a complete immature idiot when it came to regarding his friends and his personal relationship with them.

First his best friend and now his wife. And for what? All the same stupid and pathetic reasons. He's a demon, they're not, and the fear of having to undergo the process of loosing them due to them becoming older. Well, that is one of his dumbass excuses. Another reason was that he just did not take things too seriously and neither does he consider the actions that he takes.

His idea of ignoring Kazuma on the day of her brother's departure had to be one of the dumbest moves he had ever pulled. Real slick, sucker. Unfortunately, they also bought in and sold their souls to do the same exact thing, believing that the oaf just wanted to gain some attention. All of them laughed and called him "a big baby". But what was all in good fun eventually turned down an abysmal road. They all believed that their orange haired sword wielder would be back soon, that he would not last one day without them… But Kazuma did not come back.

They regretted that day ever since, even the short and semi-complicated one, though he would never verbally admit it. It was as if Kuwabara had taken the very sun with him, because it really had not shined since he had left. At least not for them. And Yukina was the one among them who had openly cried.

Yusuke's jokes and shenanigans were now all coming back to bite him right on the ass. And all he wanted to do about it was gripe and blame himself later for it. He needed to grow up, but he would argue with you for making such an accusation. To him, Kuwabara was the one who needed the growing up to do.

She only hoped that Keiko would soon wise up and leave his ass so she could bury him six feet under the dirt. The smaller girl did not deserve this sort of treatment and she deserved better.

Keiko appeared to be brimming with despair these days ever since Yusuke had left about a week and a half prior to now. Quite frankly, she was not taking their separation well. He did not even have enough decency to be formal as to tell her that he was leaving. He didn't even say "good-bye". And all because they had a heated argument about coming here in the first place, which had escalated into something more. Whatever it was, Keiko refused to convey to her friends.

"So, is Kuwabara going to be alright, Shizuru?" Her friend had inquired, finally breaking the silence between them. Again, she was avoiding the subject in question. Her head was tilted downward, refusing to make any sort of eye contact.

The Kuwabara sibling was silent for a moment as she lit a tobacco stick.

"I'm sure he will be…" She responded rather despondently.

Her gaze traveled around the room, then landed upon the two blue haired girls who were very much sound asleep.

She took a few puffs of her cig and then added; "Right now, I feel like berating him for being such an idiot…" She paused. "But I don't know what good that would do me."

The other girl agreed by nodding in silence.

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's comments:**

Dear god, this was a terrible chapter. I am so sorry it turned out so choppy. Damn writer's block.

I believe I had squeezed in a lot of information, but have yet to tell the story. The past is a complicated one. It is. And I will add some things here and there, but only if anyone is interested.

Hopefully the next chapter will be better.

And so that you know, King Enma is the God of the Dead. Unlike how most stories depict him, I believe that Enma is a very powerful and foreboding figure. For crying out loud, people fear him and not just because he can sentence you to places in the afterlife. There's no doubt in my mind that the god has great power… And Koenma would be powerful, too, no doubt. However, right now, Koenma is just a toddler. It will take some time before he finally becomes much stronger. Koenma is still a baby deity and deities take long while to grow up. He's not a grown man in disguise as a child, but a child in disguise of a grown man.

I can't stand stories where they make people stronger than actual deities, especially the more powerful ones.

I did my research, thank you. On demons, gods, and all that fun stuff. King Enma can actually destroy you right on the spot, soul and all. How about that? Something to really consider.

Koenma is a god, literally. I hate it when people also make such a mockery of him because of his power. He just needs some growing to do and you'll see… Yusuke would not be a match for him.

And just so you know, my favorite characters are: Kuwabara, Hiei, Yomi, Koenma, Sensui, and Shizuru. Those are the ones that I can name at the top of my head as to who I most admire from the original story.

Oh, and if you haven't figured it out... The enemy in this is Karma. The one who controls the forces of Yin and Yang. In some religions or faiths, he's known as "The One Who Controls All" and "The One Who Sees All". The terms "angels" and "devils" are just...names, something to define who and what they are. It also pretty much gives names to their dual nature. Yang is good, which makes one be an angel. Yin is bad, which makes one be considered a devil. And being that these beings are forces of karma, or servants of karma.. It would explain as to why they feel the way they do towards everyone, as to why they want to punish and replenish the earth.

In the next chapter...

You will finally see Kuwabara's response and reaction when he realizes that his old friends are now there.

And things are finally going to be set in motion...and more will be known about what this war is about.


	11. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

For this chapter, I had to redo my research and homework since I had lost a bit of my information I had saved up in the past. I did some math, too, and I tried to fit this well with both fiction and non-fiction.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Undecided at this time.

Dark: Yeah, that is pretty messed up. I know it would mess me up for sure, especially if I knew that.

Ev: Oh. Thank you for the tips. I'll eventually check into it. Right now, we have bad lightning storms and I really want to post this something fast. And you are right, Kazuma would have a bitch-fit if Ref ever told him that…which he probably will. And don't worry, Master Gong is one of the good guys. I think you will see some of that in this chapter, even if it is just a little.

And thanks goes to you both for your comments and reviews! They help so much!

* * *

**ALL THAT'S SAID IS DONE**

Later that day, around nine in the morning…

Koenma, Kurama and the girls had gathered together into the dining room. Kuwabara was still more than likely sleeping, and as promised, where he went, Ref would be. As for Master Gong, though, no one had seen him since last night's encounter.

The kitchen was quite large in size and contained all sorts of interesting edibles, to which some the others would not even dare touch let alone eat of it, and beyond those wooden doors was the designated area for eating.

Kurama decided to be the one to cook this time around, rummaging through the fridge and any container that may be used to pass suitable for eating as a breakfast.

"My god, this place is filthy." Keiko commented to no one in particular. She had yet to have a tour of this massive place, but already she could see how untidy it was. There was a month of dishes in the sink that had to have been at least week old in the kitchen and there were articles of clothing and random objects like empty food cartons scattered everywhere "The old man's worse than Yusuke is. He's a pig."

Hearing that name had caught the Prince of Reikai's attention, who right away looked up from his portable computer.

"Oh, speaking of which…!" He spoke up, addressing the question particularly at her. "Has anyone seen hide or hair of Yusuke yet?"

Keiko simply bit her bottom lip and could barely shake her head "No".

"Well, that's not good." He said with a sigh, having dreaded that answer. "The world knows Kuwabara can't do this alone. We could really use his help. I tell you, we are not one step closer to solving the mystery as of who could be The Chosen One. We're losing valuable time."

Upon having to listen to him speak, something flipped a switch in Shizuru's head. More than likely, someone pressed the wrong button located inside of her brain… Because in a matter of seconds, her face contorted from being calm to seething rage.

The Prince's eyes widened as he watched the woman then stomp her way over towards him, feeling him with fear. He quickly cringed backwards in a matter of seconds, which almost caused him to fall right out of his chair. He caught himself the first time, but that was before she had reached the table and slammed her hands upon the top of the hard wood. He lost his balance and the chair quickly fell backwards.

Botan and Yukina stared in shock, while Kurama ran in from the kitchen to see what was all the commotion.

Meanwhile, Koenma had placed a shaky hand upon his chest, gripping the very fabric that clothed him. His heart rate was beating ninety miles to nothing. If it was feasible, he could have had a heart attack right on the spot. She was a scary woman.

Shizuru glared at him long and hard, not once taking her eyes off of him as she watched him flinch and twitch.

"What were you thinking, you dip-shit…" She uttered lowly beneath her breath, speaking between her clenched teeth, and mustering as much rancor in her tone of voice just for him. "…When you got my brother into this mess?" She drawled on the two last letters in that inquiry like a hiss.

"Shizuru…" Botan started, but discontinued to say anything further. She became rather hesitant to say anything else after that, fearing that she may choose the wrong use of words in a wrong way.

"Answer me, you bastard!" She persisted, ignoring her friend. She went further over, gathering up enough gall to pick him up and forced him to stand upon his feet, holding him by the collar of his princely robes. "My little brother almost got killed out there!"

Koenma stared back at her, his eyes shaking and his body all tensed up.

The others silently observed with intent, now having the same question in mind as she did and wondered how he was exactly going to answer it.

Sighing in defeat, the Prince then calmly answered; "You're right, we should not have gotten him involved… This is beyond him."

He paused as he turned to gaze upon everyone else. As he thought, all eyes were now upon him now. Even Hiei was there now, listening in to all he had to say. The fire youkai must have came in through the window.

Koenma continued; "It's not a fight… This is a war between the gods. Not between humans and demons. This is all on an entirely different molecular level, a more complex and dire circumstance than any of you have ever dealt with. In fact, this conflict between the gods has been going on for eons, more than a millennia." He turned back to the brown haired girl. "But I didn't hire him. My father did." He then narrowed his eyes at her as he added; "And don't ask me what he was thinking because he never lets me in on any of his decisions."

After careful inspection to see if the demi-god was telling the truth, Shizuru finally let go up him. He instantly felt some relief now that the detective's sibling had withdrawn from him, but not so much since he knew that the grilling was far from being over.

"Yusuke should be here." Botan stated unconsciously.

"Yusuke is an immature fool." Hiei asserted, his tone like cold steel. "He believes that the oaf betrayed him when he had left." He scoffed. "Not to mention that he's finally letting the fact that he's a demon get to his head. Not that I care. But if he wishes to ruin his happy little life and become a miserable anthrobot, by all means let him. It does not concern me."

"Anthrobot?" Botan repeated, astonished that he had used such a word. "Wow! You have learned a lot from the human world, after all."

Hiei glared daggers at her for that remark. The blue haired fairy gulped and scooted away in return, while Yukina and Kurama sweat dropped from the display.

"What he's saying is that Yusuke has been a bit of a brat these days," Kurama tried to enlighten, providing an extra quiet "god help him" in the midst of the sentence. "…with him coming back and forth from demon world."

"So, technically, he's having the post demon jitters?" Koenma posed with uncertainly.

In truth, he found it to all be utterly ridiculous. For one, Yusuke did not pose a threat at all to the people whom he had claimed to love, unlike some rare cases where half-breeds actually do. His healthy mentality was completely intact and his personality was still practically there. There were no symptoms of random changes, nothing he could not control; like the sudden urge to spill blood or blood lust. If anything, he had developed a more extreme case of lazy-itis.

"Mmmyes, precisely… If you'd like to define it as that." The redheaded fox replied.

The Prince of Reikai groaned. "Dammit, Yusuke. You're supposed to be the hero of this story."

"Maybe he's the one yer lookin' for." Came a low and morose voice. It was as light as a feather, yet hoarse and brooding in tone. "Shockingly, he ends up being everything…so why not that, too?"

Everyone turned their attention towards the kitchen doors, wondering who it was since the voice was barely recognizable.

There stood a figure of an effeminate man with haunting hooded eyes, ones that could reach into the pits of your soul. At first they almost thought it was a woman that they were looking at, with the long and beautiful flowing curly hair and the pairs of lovely limbs and extremities, but the flat chest, chiseled abs, and the lump of his unmentionables between his legs were a definite give away. He was only wearing a pair of red boxer-briefs, which his strong and full legs and tail-gate filled up quite nicely.

Their cheeks flushed as though they have never seen a half-naked man before.

Kieko turned to ask Botan in a whisper; "Who's the pretty boy and why does he appear to have hips?"

It took a moment to decipher who it was before it had finally clicked, though only on the ones who had seen this "beautiful stranger" last night. As if the color of his hair didn't give away any hints.

"Oi!" Koenma yawped, thumping the side of his head as the realization came back to him. "Hey, Kuwabara! I'm so glad to see that you're now up and at'em!"

Yukina and Keiko's eyes grew to the size of saucers, astounded and baffled by their old friend's drastic transformation. It had been years since they had last seen him, but not so long that the years that had passed could give a credit to causing such a dynamic change in appearance. In fact, he should not even look like this at all, less he had undergone a vast amount of severe surgeries.

Of course, the latter was Keiko's logical answer to this.

"That's Kazuma?" Keiko exclaimed. "There's no way that could be him!"

Kazuma then bore a petulant expression, narrowing his eyes at them in a solemn fashion, and folded his arms over his chest. He did not look happy to see them, and that hooded appearance upon his face made him appear to be all the more menacing. He had been standing there for quite some time now, long enough to hear the conversion that they had been having.

The others jumped back, including Hiei.

"Yeah.. Yeah.." Was Kuwabara's response to Koenma's statement, not really in the mood for any of this. "I woke up to this guy right here looming over me." He jabbed his them towards the left of him, to which then Ref appeared, coming right out through the wall. "Startled the crap outta me."

The others jumped back yet again, not expecting someone to pass through a wall like that. It honestly startled the crap out of them, not to mention that the Dark Prince appeared…well, sinister and unsettling. And that medium-sized tupelo cigar hanging between the right corner of his lips did not help his image much.

There was a long pause of silence as they anticipated as to what would happen next, now completely on guard.

The Prince of Hell gave them all a mean and foreboding stare. He appeared as though a beast on the hunt, in search for his next pray. His red eyes shined like tips of red-hot metal pokers, and his face was also overcastted, as dark as the night.

When tensions were finally high enough, he pronounced faintly a word with one syllable; "Boo."

They all shrieked, and once again Koenma fell backwards onto his hindquarters.

"Yeah, that was my response, but apparently neither of you heard me." Their orange haired friend commented, recalling the moment when the god of the demons woke him up. The man had been practically hovering over him, his face right in his own, his expression so grimly severe one moment and then terrifyingly happy the next.

The girls were still squealing and fidgeting in fear.

Reficul then guffawed, his laugh a mix between that of something diabolical and a psychopath. He was, more or less, amused by their reactions.

Kazuma side-stepped a bit, only to find it to be futile as Ref filled the gap in between them again. His eyes bulged for a few seconds, he became nervous all over again as the demon stared him down. He was giving him that look again, the one when the Dark Prince had finally introduced himself, only this one was more placid.

However, after deciding to brush it all aside, Kazuma turned his attention back to the cluster that was now across the room from him.

"Anyway," He began, addressing them with deadly amounts of seriousness. His tone of voice possessed a certain harshness that can only be compared to that of a meat grinder at a slaughterhouse, and they were the meat. "Why are you here? And why are the girls here, too?"

The immediate danger was rolling right off of the male psychic, along with the hurt and hostility upon seeing them here. In truth, he had not forgiven them and he did not want them to be here for various reasons.

A prolonged moment of silence had passed, not a peep was made as they all stared back at him in astonishment. Since when did Kuwabara could come off sounding so cruel? Their shocked expressions soon gave away into guilt, somehow feeling responsible for their friend's change. He was no longer the person who they once knew. For one, he was not the idiotic lug they had thought he was.

No one ever said that it would be easy to make amends, though before they came here they honestly thought it would be. Shizuru gazed at him as though she was now mourning, having been the one to know better than to believe that.

"Kazuma--" She tried to speak.

"No… You shouldn't be here…" He interjected, vehemently drawing out his words with venom. "It's too dangerous and had I started over…" He was becoming all the more resentful by the minute towards them. It was though he was about to curse them with a terrible plague, his unique eyes now blazing.

Ref watched him for a moment longer, his protective instinct suddenly kicking in as he then turned his head and sent them all a frightening look of warning.

"Kuwabara." Koenma spoke up, knowing that his friend was usually not like this. He was a good person deep down, but right now he was being much of an ass.

"No!" The detective roared, sending the demi-god aback. "All my life…" He continued in a harsh whisper at first, but as seconds passed, step by step his voice grew to be louder and more inhuman as he expressed himself. "I spent half my life so far trying to catch up to all of you guys, I tried so hard to fit in… And in the end, all I got for it was a large and pointy foot up my ass, riddled with thorns! You think now you can just reenter into my life and pretend that it's all hunky-dory… Well, you're WRONG!"

The room unexpectedly shuttered violently as it rumbled. A strong gust of wind pushed the frightened crowd backwards, almost sending them into the wall behind them. And at that same time, some of the more fragile objects in the room shattered into pieces.

Kazuma stared at them for a moment, fear now filling up his eyes, though the anger was still present. He did not know how it had happened, but he had enough sense to know where that leap of energy had came from. Something was stirring up inside of him, his psychic powers were going out of control again. And he might have been on the edge, but he did not mean for any of that to happen.

Upset with himself now, he quickly marched out of the dinning room and straight through the kitchen.

The Prince of Hell disappeared through the wall after him. And though his presence was no longer amongst the troubled yet befuddled crowd, they heard his voice in that very room. "If you further continue to agitate him, I will bring you into a world of pain and suffering that which nothing can save you from." He clearly warned, though his voice was but a hissing breath.

The others stared at each other, deciding that it was to be mindful to the dark god's words. Reckoning with this terrible force would surely be going places where even the angels dare not to tread.

"Good grief, his psychic powers have suddenly increased!" Koenma exclaimed as he brushed himself off. "What's next?"

No one answered, but they all agreed that this was far from what they had ever expected.

Yukina, Kieko, and Botan no longer felt comfortable to be here anymore. Keiko more so than the other two, dealing with letting Yusuke fight was one thing, but this was just too much. From her perspective, her friend had turned into a monster. Tears brimmed her eyes.

"Guys, I don't…" She spoke up, quivering as much as her voice. "…think I should be here anymore.."

They all looked at her, not knowing what to say. Hiei did not look to be really impressed with her, but the others understood at what she was getting at.

"The boy has come a long and winding path of change." Came another voice seconds later, only this time it came from neither Kazuma or Narakumaru.

Of course, they were startled, being that this day had started out not so well… And everyone but Hiei jumped when they looked to see who it was. It was none other than Master Gong, but he appeared right beside them, almost as though he had came out of thin air.

"Hey! That's my trick!" Koenma yelled, now all groused up and feeling irritable.

The bizarre Martial Arts Master sipped upon a glass of sake and continued; "He came to me carrying a heavy sack of burden, and inside he was overwhelmed with incredible pain." He paused for a moment, making sure that they were listening closely. "I was sure that in the end, he would eventually break and fall apart. But he proved to be too stubborn. He just wouldn't give up, caught up in his self-made delusions of the promises he made to overcome. He just refused to give in, wanting to be the victor in this fight within himself, just like he wanted to win at life. He pushed himself beyond limit."

"I…see…" The reaper uttered, taking it all in with the rest of her friends.

"He's like that, though, if you know him well. Giving up is just not his motto, success is." He informed with a smile. "You won't believe how much he's done for that city…nursing it as though a mother with her offspring or a surrogate who takes in an unwanted child. He was on his way to reaching his prime, the duckling who grew up to be a swan. And now his world seems to be crashing down all around him, with him bleed upon the stage."

He took another sip of the clear rice elixir from his glass, smacking his lips to the taste of the heated beverage.

"Another dream has died and the people whom he came to care for within it." He told them. "So, think about that before you go and judge him. Yes?" And with having said that, he walks out on them, humming away as he goes.

They watched him as he disappeared, which upon then he began to sing in Chinese. Quite terribly, too.

"Well, I just feel awful now." Botan commented moments later.

"Yes," Kurama agreed, his regret seeping through his voice. "Who would have known that we had created such a mark upon our friend. It is to no wonder as to why he's not pleased upon seeing any of us. We should have rectified this from the start."

The ice koorime looked up at her husband as she tugged upon his shirt, her crimson eyes filled with sorrow. "Do you…think we've lost him, Kurama?" She inquired, being one of the few that had been affected by this misfortune the most.

"I'm not sure, Yukina." He answered candidly. "But I hope not."

"Me, too." She confessed, then immediately wrapped her arms around him and buried her face upon his torso. From there, she allowed the tears to fall freely, and some that had escaped from being caught by the fabric had turned into milky-white pearls.

Kurama held her close to him. It was all that he could do right now.

The other women fallowed her example, crying to themselves as they huddled close together onto Shizuru for support.

Hiei and Koenma said nothing.

By that time, they had all pretty much lost their apatite and breakfast was eventually discarded away.

*

Kazuma ran and ran as far and fast as his legs could carry him, over the man-made pond's bridge and into the woods that was at least a half a mile away from the shrine. He did not care about where he was going and right now he could care less about the fact that he was not suitably dressed. He just had to get away, to rethink and to breathe.

He sped like a train about to be derailed off the tracks.

Master Gong's land was that of a valley, his temple sitting upon a large yet lofty and fairly treeless hill. A valley that had a small savanna within it. What trees that were there upon the hill were spread out, standing many yards apart from one another, though most of the trees began to conglomerate in a bit of a distance away from the shrine. The forest itself was filled with all types of trees, from ferns, sakura trees, to ones that produced fruit; like the twisted mulberry tree. And while one side of the land lead to various civilizations, another lead straight to one city that was where the ground finally reached it's end; aka the coastline or beach.

Mount Fuji could be seen in the distance from the temple itself, with it's white snow tops and gentle stream of steaming smoke. Part of Master Gong's land was sitting right on the very edge of the forest that surround such a enormous and pristine mountain.

It was a dazzling view, but the forest itself was perilous and filled with many dangers.

For one, there were indigenous forest creatures; for instance the wolves. And another yet more dangerous inhabitance to consider was that the place was haunted by various types of demons and other apparitions, including the malicious spirits of the dead. The tengu dwelled there, too, which are a more formidable threat and they are anything but friendly. They are more fierce than any breed of wolf or any other creature, coming in all forms and sizes though usually as a dog or a human. They are ancient demons, ever vigilant to remain hidden in those woods as a way to escape being forced to live in the Makai plane.

And worst of all, there was Daranibo. A vicious bird tengu who is considered to be like a god of that mountain. Anyone who dares to trespass upon his territory would soon fall prey to his wrath and be devoured.

And Kuwabara had headed into the latter destination, his head not screwed on straight enough to think of the consequence. Fortunately, though he was unawares to the naked eye, Reficul was following him from close behind. If needed be, he will stop him from going any farther.

**…TBC…**

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**Author's comments:**

Oh, boy. That's not good.

Kazuma just keep running into trouble. My god. And he says Yusuke is bad at it.

And why would Master Gong live near such a forest anyway? Probably for a ridiculous reason, too.

Please read and review. It helps me a lot. I need it. ME NEEDS IT. It gives me that drive to continue further on in writing this story.


	12. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

Also, the angels in this story here are a different and separate race of their own, they are unlike the ones you read about in most religions. They are more dangerous than demons, yet usually come off as being harmless. They are friendly enemies, which is the worst kind.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Warning:** Homosexuality, graphic violence, dark content, blood, vulgar language, and weirdness that will ensue.

**Rating:** …Mature content. Not really for anyone under the age of 18, but if you are mentally mature enough, go ahead and read.

I want to thank Dark and Ev for reading and reviewing! Thank you so much you two! It means a lot!

Ev: Koenma can be such a spoiled brat, but regardless of that fact I still love him. At least he's not as bad as Yusuke, I will say. And who is to say that Koenma won't figure it all out on his own? The only question is "how will he respond?". And sure... You can hug ol' crazy Master Gong. xD

I am currently working on the next chapter as we speak.

* * *

**NEVER FORGIVE ME, NEVER FORGET ME**

_The red sun was positioned in the west, gradually resting upon the horizon…_

_A nefarious figure stretched outwards upon hot tarmac, surfacing as though a ghoulish manifestation with a reprehensible demeanor._

_"There he is!"_

_"So… That's him?"_

_It was nothing more than the shadow of a mere boy, whom presented to be anything but mundane. He was on the precipice's edge of his emotions, his body wracking as he began to weep._

_He had arrived here at the park for recreational purposes, to make acquaintance with other kids, and to hopefully obtain friends._

_His "mother" had insisted that he should, not wanting him to be lonely since his new older sister was less than willing to play with him. Though she had just taken him in under her wing, and after having successfully adopted him, she believed that friendship was all he needed to cure the ache of his already darkened past. In truth, he was the offspring of her older yet now deceased sister, and being that the two were once extremely close individuals, she felt more than obligated to raise him. Though another reason as to why she had taken him in was to fill in the place of her own stillborn son, the child who never made it into this world. But still, over all, she was a good person.  
_

_He was definitely a special boy who needed special care, but spending time in that terrible institute for special orphans had not helped him in the least. With the special help provided from her side of the family, it now seemed both plausible and accessible. …Or so she first thought._

_Acquiring friendship, for one… This endeavor marked his first failing, however, and a line was quickly drawn between him and the other children._

_He was not fitting in at all. He was so diverse from all of them._

_And this day was not like the day before. He really longed for the return of yesterday, which had sparked his first genuine smile so far in his tiny yet miserable existence._

_There was this other new kid in town, you see, who had unkempt brunette locks and chocolate brown eyes. He had played with him, though that kid was a bit of a brat, but this other brown haired little girl with almond hued irises made sure to keep him in line. There was another yet slightly older kid, too. He possessed the most unusual red hair, like the peddles of a rose, and his eyes were as green as the leaves in spring._

_He had sincerely thought that this new-found feeling would last forever. For the first time, he was actually happy. They swung on the swings, climbed the monkey gym, conquered the shoots and ladders, and even got dizzy on the infamous merry-go-round. But alas, all good things must come to an end._

_The three of them had to eventually leave that day, having left some time ago with their own separate families. They never had exchanged names that day, sadly, never once promising to relive their fun-filled adventures. Apparently, their families were just passing by this section of the neighborhood. And consequently, he knew right then and there that it had all came to an undeserving end._

_He was left to be alone, just as he was now today._

_"Do you see that?"_

_"Oh…my…gods."_

_"So, the kids' tall-tales are true… He is a monster."_

_"He's a freak!"_

_"What a wretched little child."_

_"I've seen him make things float, mom! Up off the ground! He made my friend's ball float like magic!"_

_"He can make dirt fly! It got in my eyes!"_

_"Keep him away from the other children as much as possible. We don't want him trying anything heinous."_

_A substantial crowd of children and adults had gathered around him, gawking as they discussed invidiously amongst one other about the possibilities of what he could be. He was only a six year old kid, but the people were too absorbed in their fear to comfort him as he let out choking wails. There was no console, no warmth or pity, just cruel illustrations made about him._

_It was not his fault that the other children had been so cruel to him, like intentionally kicking dirt into his eyes for one, which had been the reasonable cause for his retaliation towards them. On the other hand, perhaps he had gone a wee bit too far in his counterattacks._

_He did not care who was now saying these things, being that the treatment he had received here was the equivalent of him being elsewhere. Their rejection and attacks, all the same, had stung his soul like bites from angry wasps._

_Sobbing into his hands, he shielded his face from his spectators and their sneers and glares._

_"Look at him crying. How pathetic."_

_"…Some monster."_

_"Daddy, tell him to go away! He scares me!"_

_"Hey! Go away, you freak! Stop scaring my little sister! Haven't you done enough already?"_

_"Yeah! Go away!"_

_"Monster!"_

_"Let's go. Let's get out of here…before he actually hurts one of us."_

_"He can't be trusted."_

…

This was one of the bitter memories of a certain psychic girl.

For a time in a not so distant past, the world had slipped into a state of epical madness, locked in their unbridled contempt. Some of the neighbors avoiding the family at all costs, while others insistent upon removing an atypical little boy from society. He was a menace to them and a threat to their children. Those children were no more innocent as their parents were, in fact, they were incredibly guilty. They often chased her brother down the street after school, all the while throwing stones and calling him names. And fighting back was pointless, but he did it anyway.

The voices kept getting so much louder, so profound that they had been permanently etched onto the back of the mind, seared into her conscience.

The screaming, the crying, the pleading… All merged with the sound of thwacking leather. The sounds of rallying persons outside their front door.

The non-washable hand-prints upon the walls, ceilings, floors, and doors. The fires and the awful smell of something burning, yet strangely enough, the house was often as cold as a morgue.

She had to walk out of the house before she began breaking, almost every time.

And the times when demons that plagued their family after nightfall, especially in the witching-hours.

Not to mention the fact that Kazuma kept having endless night terrors while he slept, which sometimes caused him to sleepwalk. They had even once found him walking down the streets, having somehow unlocked the bolts in the front door, and all the while still in his pajamas.

He was not the only one, however. No one could sleep in that forsaken house. They were most likely vulnerable to attacks while sleeping or dozing off. They did not know what they had down to anger the dark apparitions, but by the end of it all, they were literally covered in scratches and bruises.

Though, they had their suspicions that they were most likely attracted to the boy. He rarely even possessed a mark that had not been made by human hands, and every time he had came out of his room, he came out being spotless and smelling fresh as a rose.

Everything went drastically downhill and fast, spiraling into mayhem, and worsening with each passing day.

Their father figure was literally at wits end, swearing that he could hear the sounds of voices, growling, and the clanging of swords. On one occasion, he fled out of the house to strip himself down in the streets, proclaiming that something was all over him. It seemed that the more the man hurt Kazuma, the more he had suffered.

Eventually her mother had agreed in permitting her to subside elsewhere for a time, principally with other members of their family.

At that time, she had yearned for less association with Kazuma, even though he was her kin. Naturally, she had been as much afraid of him as everyone else was. And back then, she could not understand well enough as to what was going on. She had not received the full extent of her psychic abilities until puberty.

They had such a dysfunctional family, which is quite frankly odd according by Kuwabara standards. Fortunately, the ties with their clan were strong. Life there was a wretched hellhole, being that it had been gutted of every ounce of content and security.

It had last for almost two whole years, which was awfully too long for their tastes. And out of one of those grueling years he had been confined to remain in his room at all times, often strapped to an armed chair like a crazy person. At least that is what she had been told.

And he was almost eight years old when all of it at last had come to an end, but the walls in the minds of the family were to be perpetually stained.

"You don't remember any of it… Do you, baby brother?" She spoke numbly to herself.

Shizuru was alone in an empty room for a reason and one purpose only. Privacy.

After witnessing the indignation in her brother's eyes, her mind had instantly became flooded by penitents and memories. Something in his eyes had triggered something within her, causing her to retrospectively relive the torments of old and faded past.

"…How you tried to escape the pain, but there was nowhere else to go…? How you cried out for someone to save you, but no one was there? …I was, but I had done nothing… I could not even bare to watch, but sometimes I did."

Because of what had transpired during her childhood years, she had long since lost most if not all of her faith in humanity. Everybody is the same, human or otherwise.

"But someone did eventually answer your prayers… Though please forgive me that I was not the one. I never was. Nor can I ever be."

Her breath became rigid, her chest heaving out profound sighs of air. She desperately wanted it all to be erased, but the recollections were here to stay.

She sniffed, wiping a tear from her eye. "Perhaps one day you will see…as to why I have…become so protective over you…"

"But I could never be as protective as he is."

**…TBC…**

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**Author's Comments:**

Yes, I know. This chapter is short and pathetic. It's measly.

HELP ME! My brain is dying. XD

This is just a recollection by his sister. It's short for a lot of reasons.

I'm sorry that I did not go into detail. My apologies.

And sorry for any repeats in chapters. I tend to do that so no one forgets some things...that and it all serves a purpose. Eventually, I won't have to do it anymore. o_o;


	13. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

Also, the angels in this story here are a different and separate race of their own, they are unlike the ones you read about in most religions. They are more dangerous than demons, yet usually come off as being harmless. They are friendly enemies, which is the worst kind.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Warning:** Homosexuality, graphic violence, dark content, blood, vulgar language, and weirdness that will ensue.

**Rating:** …Mature content. Not really for anyone under the age of 18, but if you are mentally mature enough, go ahead and read.

First off, to answer the question concerning Kurama. What you all have guessed and said is true. I won't give much away about it, but know this… He will eventually connect the dots.

TwistedRoses: Thank you for your suggestions. The next chapter coming up after this one will have some surprises. Sensui may very well have some part in it, too. And if not, he will be coming more into the story very soon.

Kinnys: Yes, I hate brain farts. They suck. What I hate worse of all is finding good words and changing them around. I don't want my writing to seem dull. And it's so difficult to jot down what you see in your head.

EV: OH HO HO. Reficul is very protective of Kazuma. He'll hurt you if you hurt him in any way. Hell, he might even kill you, but as he would say "There are far worse things than dead". Yes, Shizuru.. I love her so. It's a shame I did not go more into her character. She knows more than she lets off.

Dark: Yeah, it is weird. Weird things like that sometimes happen, though one in a million chances. It's why they never came back, really. They lived in different areas. There was just that one time where they actually did meet, which is a very odd occurrence indeed. Their families had the same idea that day, apparently. And I agree with you whole heartedly. People are judgmental creatures. They hurt things that they are afraid of.

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**TOUGH LOVE**

Kazuma kept running as far as he could, heading directly towards Aokigahara, or better known as The Suicide Woods.

He was reaching the very end that marked "no man's land" when something at once gripped him backwards, first pulling him by his shoulders. In a split second, he felt a light pressure upon the sides of his ribcage, only then to realize that he was being hoisted up about a foot off the ground. He looked down in terror and screamed, then frantically wiggled his limbs about, squirming against whatever now had a hold of him.

"AAAH! LEMME GO! I'LL KILL YOU!" He hollered, ready to bust a move any moment as he summoned forth his spirit sword.

"Like you could manage to do a thing like that." Spoke a deep rough voice, followed closely by a dark chuckle. "Quite frankly, I'm not one that's easy to be rid of or defeat. It is a victory I will make you…" A tickle of hot breath against his ear, which caused him to shudder. "…work for."

Kazuma's had eyes widened, already acknowledging precisely who it was.

He should have guessed correctly the first time around seeing as that prior to now he had known that the demon-god had tagged along with him. And if it had been someone else, someone who would guarantee as a threat, his wards would have went right off and his symbols and markings would have probably appeared.

He growled tetchily to himself, feeling mighty sheepish, not to mention awkward. He extinguished his weapon, deciding to at last put it away.

"Put me down, you asshole!" The psychic snapped lividly as he tried to futilely pull himself free from Ref's iron grasp, never minding the hot friction producing between the two of them. When the other man ultimately complied to his demands, nevertheless, he continued to further protest and gripe away along the way as he was set firmly down onto the ground.

"Little Nemo, get your head out of your ass.." The Prince directed, receiving an indignant look from the fiery haired man in return. "Be mindful and alert, you almost entered into Aokigahara."

Nemo: A term that means "no one", or more precisely "no man" in Latin. However, despite how rude the name that has been given may sound, it actually indicates a world caught between fantasy and reality. Suddenly dreams have become real and fiction has become actuality. "Nemo" is also what Narakumaru had referred to call Kaguya, rather than using her birth name. In short, it is a pet name and an expression of affection. The name had also suited her quite well since after her death she became "the one who shall not be named, neither shall she be said". So, "The Tale of Kaguya Hime" was then declared as a make-believe story of another girl.

Kazuma blinked, then looked towards that said woods. Gazing in and further on, the forest dimming considerably the farther one went in. It possessed a rather unsettlingly appearance, which was perhaps due to the lush canopy of branches that concealed the light from the sun. A wisp of wind blew through the trucks of trees like a serpent, resonating a howl similar that sounded to be consumed in woe.

A sudden chill went down his spine, causing him to shiver. It was as cold as a mortuary out here, though the pair prickling on the back of his neck and the formation of goose-bumps popping upon his skin suggested that there was a little bit something more than that.

Unsure if it was his mind's eye was merely playing tricks on him, Kazuma closed his eyes and shook his head ever so slightly. He reopened his eyes, but the vision had not altered. It was awfully dark in there. Too dark to be deemed natural or ordinary. And he got this really creepy feeling that he was being watched.

He turned his head and looked back at Reficul, his face sober and showing no fear. As always, he came to the conclusion that no matter what, come hell or high water, that he would never back out of a fight. That is, of course, if it did not infringe his honor code; being the gallant man that he is.

"Don't worry." He said with much assurance. "I can deal with it and I certainly can take care of myself." He pointed to himself with his thumb with confidence. "I'm a man, after all."

For a moment, he imagined himself as though standing upon stage in black samurai attire, his form glistening in the limelight as flowers fell miraculously around him. Scrolls rolled down, words painted in black ink that declared: "Kazuma Kuwabara! The protector of love and bringer of justice!" And finally, at the end, a traditional Shinto call and then a gong was heard.

"Some man." Came Ref's commented seconds later, which had unfortunately shot down the curly head's ego.

That remark struck him as though a shoe had nailed him right on the head, a vein pulsing right on the top of it as he became blue in the face. He then became vexed moments later, seething to himself as his blood boiled. Kazuma promptly whirled around to face the god with furious speed, now yelling as though he had been set on fire. And his teeth were all sharp and pointy.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" He screamed at him, all the while poking him in the chest a few times, which felt rather weird to him due to the fact that the older man was so much taller than he was. "FOR THE RECORD, PAL, I AM ONE HELL OF A MANLY MAN! SO, FUCK YOU!"

A gentle "Yes, please." and a creepy chuckle was heard from The Dark God, who's sick sense of humor frustrated the psychic even more.

With a scoff, Kazuma turned his back to him again and began muttering profanities under his breath. "I'm the manliest man of manly-dom!"

This guy was bringing out sides of himself that he had not shown in years. The nerve of this man!

ONE STEP towards The Woods of Doom was all it took for Reficul to quickly decide that it was HIS turn now to show him HIS other side. It was the consequence for not heeding his words. Fortunately, Kazuma was very lucky to be him and nobody else.

The Dark Prince appeared before him, looking at him dead in the face. "Don't be such a fool! You say that now," He rejoined, then placed a firm hand upon the shorter man's head, keeping him in place so that he would not get away.

"HEY!" Kazuma squirmed and fidgeted against him yet again, but the other man had him real good. Again. Ref had him exactly where he wanted him to be.

He tried to swing a hearty punch at him, clout right in the gut. However, the Prince had dodged so quickly that he had missed making the desired contact completely, and yet here he was, still standing there as though nothing had ever occurred. Hell, his hand was still there, right where he had put it! Kazuma tried again, only to gain the same result. So, he tried a third time. And again. And again and again and again and again and again! And with each passing second, he became more and more incensed. He was determined.

Technically, The Great Kazuma was doing what people tend to call "air-boxing". Not only is The Prince of Hell lightening fast, but he could also predict the object of his affection's every movements with precision, every last one of them.

"Be quiet." The Prince barked, a rumbling growl emitting from his throat. "For I decree that you will listen to me. Which is not a request!"

Kuwabara immediately froze in place. His head was then tilted back, now looking slightly upward.

Two sets of eyes were now locked within each other's gazes. One pair was as red as a bloodshot wound, the various reds whirling around like churning pools of water. However, the other pair was cross between the vibrant minerals of realgar and orpiment, possessing the intense colors of a reddish orange yet also very golden in appearance; which all the better gave him that fiery look of odium.

"As I was saying…" Though his frustration had quelled, Reficul spoke firmly as he continued. "You say that now, but just wait until one of those two-timing twinkle-toed ass-licking tengu get a hold of you. You can bet your sweet ass, they'll be craving some of that delicious meat on your bones."

The redhead's face fell, then merely stammered in response. Kazuma was so erratic with his emotions at times, often as moody as the weather; which can range from changing the strength of the winds to the torrents of an ocean. In actuality, the better term is "elements"; denoting from fire, water, earth, wind, and spirit.

"Rows of white sharp razors sink into tender flesh, ripping and pulling…" The Dark Prince elucidated, expressing much vitriol towards the subjects that was in the context. "…With you screaming as they ravish every part of you. Perhaps you will convulse as your blood pools to the ground, losing control of bodily functions, receding into shock. You eventually become numb, loosing all sensation, an affect due their deleterious bite. You try to shut your eyes, to make it go away… But you're left to watch them as they devour you, consuming your eviscerated parts, crunching and gnawing on your bones…like a dog. You eventually shed this mortal coil, with your eyes open with fears echoing through the confounds of your mind. You'd wish that you would've rather been eaten by parasitic worms instead."

The color had drained away from Kazuma's features, becoming as pale as a ghost made out of bed sheets on Halloween. His eyes were now wide, his left eyebrow and the corner of his lip twitched feverishly. "Did you have to go into such horrific detail?"

"And what if you were swallowed alive?" Reficul persisted, still having not let go of the younger man.

Kazuma stared for a moment, his expression blank as he sweat dropped. "Well, I won't be sleeping tonight. I know that much." He despondently sucked in air and glanced over to the side, then sighed through his nose.

"Must I divulge?" Ref stated bluntly, taking the chance to further enlighten the love of his life. "It takes a long time for one to be digested inside of another's stomach. They don't heed to the new laws set in Makai by Enki; who is nothing but a fool for believing that he could control another demon's appetite and inherited urges when one simply cannot." He paused for a moment, namely because he really knew a precise truth as to why demons craved human flesh so much. He knew exactly why, but as for now he would not say. "In fact, most have never ventured beyond this forest…"

"Oh. I see." Kazuma spoke thoughtfully, more or less considering what the other man had said.

"No shit, Sherlock." The Dark Prince quipped and then smiled as he tousled his inamorato's curly hair, feeling the soft strands weave between his fingers. This was so unexpected and it threw the other man off by surprise. There was much warmth radiating from his unbridled caresses.

"Also, I do not digress when I say…" Reficul continued subtly, though his eyes shined vigorously with the promises of brutality and full throttled rage. Nevertheless, he had not yet withdrawn his hand from him, making every moment count in all it's splendor. "It would put those ass-lickers up dismemberment creak for even trying to touch you in the first place. I'll fucking taking it right out their asses. If you value their lives as much as your own, my Nemo, you know the call. I'll kill all those fucks without remorse."

His hand then receded, only to faintly trace down the contours of the detective's nose tip of his index finger. The Prince's movements were as slow as they were sensual. "Furthermore, there is Daranibo. He's been in dormant for centuries, hibernating deep inside the mountain. People consider him as either a demon or a god. Essentially, he controls the bird demons and is very formidable with those weaker than himself. Even the tengu know better than to cross him." He suddenly halted in his serpentine movements, then trickled down his fingers to caress soft and lush lips. "You're incantations will only get you so far, and the very same goes towards the use of alchemy."

Kazuma flushed, feeling hot blood rush to the surface of his cheeks as he watched the man before him, who finally drew back his hand. His extremities were far much superior to his own, let alone much larger in size.

He did not want to admit it, but he rather enjoyed the contact tremendously. In fact, thrived from receiving the simple touch, marveling the brush of the man's fingers as they had once massaged his scalp. In truth, he could not recall ever having received that much or any amount of displayed affection ever before in his lifetime. As soothing as it were, though, his stomach began to bubble, feeling as though he was currently a humanized butterfly cage. And his heartbeat, likewise, had sped up.

But then a particular yet simple question popped into his mind, which deserved answering. "Wait.. How do you know--"

"That you know magic, let alone have exceptional psychic powers?" The God of the Demons finished the inquiry for him, providing the answer within the words themselves. "Because I do."

"Oh, that's right. You've been stalking me." Kazuma outspokenly assumed, sweat dropping. It was a quick assessment, but it seemed reasonable enough and most likely true. "Like a shadow or some creepy old guy who has it in for all the kids at a park." When the latter thought occurred to him, he became overwhelmingly disgusted.

The god snorted. "Not necessarily," He informed brusquely, narrowing his eyes a bit. "But I don't expect you to understand as of right now."

The psychic blinked when he realized how much the taller man's expression had softened, though it was only a brief moment, his demeanor revealed something deep and disconsolate. Kazuma beheld much pain and regret in the other's blood red eyes, that he was taken aback. Concern swelled up on the inside, saturating and overflowing him like a goblet of wine, all to which then flowed into the river of guilt that was connected to the treacherous sea of pain. The physical sensation was similar to having one's own heart being squeezed and wrenched by an invisible specter, that is how it felt.

Had he been the one responsible for this?

Kazuma's eyes became shaded. He could feel his pain, let alone sense it.

"I beg your pardon for my vulgarity, Nemo." Reficul said when he stepped back a bit himself. "And please accept my sincere apologies for having offended you." He then bowed as a decorous gentleman, his right hand placed over his heart.

The detective had to admit, he was impressed by the man's actions. There was not a person he had known to behave in such a marveled manner as this one did. It was though the man had stepped out of a romantic yet seemingly old English novel. It reminded him of a period of mankind, when people actually had some respect for one another. And it was certainly something he sought and lusted for.

Then again, Reficul was rather elicit with his advancements, providing much provocation. Again, another thing that the swordsman had never had the pleasure to experience… That is until now.

It was really nice. And for once in his life, he actually felt special, as though he was genuinely worth something.

A quiet voice crept into his psyche, passing onto him the possibilities that maybe he had, at long last, discovered his true counterpart. However, he pushed that notion to the side, still believing that love was simply not for him. He was still emotionally torn asunder.

Kazuma stared wistfully, his mouth open, obviously overcome by both shock and awe. In addition to that, he fought the inward urge to curtsy in response like a princess. As far as he was concerned, he was not "frou-frou" type, at least that is what he told himself anyways.

Sure, he may be more than likely "gay" since he was not attracted to women anymore, but he was not a stereotypical…gay man. Like most people with his sexual orientation, he started out as being bisexual. However, when he finally became a man, he realized the absolute truth of such matters… He swung the other way around, but he still managed to keep it all locked up in the closet and underneath the sheets and covers.

He realized that women could never give him the fulfillment of a relationship that he was looking for. Sweet kisses upon his lips and tender caresses meant nothing when it came from the opposite gender, leaving him with a noteworthy disconcerting yet empty state of awareness. He felt that he had more love for his deceased cat, in fact, found the act of kissing a cobra upon the head more appeasing. Nowadays, dating girls made him feel incredibly perturbed and awkward. On the other hand, give him a box full of adorable kittens and he'll be absolutely ecstatic.

Not that it was a bad thing, many samurais before his time were homosexuals. Even so, due to the strenuous times brought by his highly prejudice "father", there was a long period of time when he wanted anything but to be gay. In short, he was expected to be absolutely "straight", straighter than an pristine iron nail, and therefore he was. Anything to further escape the harsh chastisement and abuse he had to undergo.

And he also possessed an inkling of fear that he was perhaps the only "gay" guy amongst his peers, especially his "friends". For all those years he served along side them, he could not bear the thought of being rejected, neither could he listen to them possibly make cruel remarks in regards to him. He knew Urameshi could be cruel and that is what scared him the most, besides the old man who had claimed to have supposedly raised him.

What else was he supposed to do? Let a world that was so cold know how a tough punk like him, a thug with a high reputation for being the second most toughest fighter on the streets…was a fag? Easier said than done, people looked up to him! And for a man in his position, life was far much harder, especially when the world seemed to be only trying to bring you down.

He once believed that Yukina would be his cure, or at least his guaranteed way of escape. …As awful as that sounds, but it was true. There's no hiding from it anymore. It was all a charade. He made himself believe that he was in love, and unbelievably, it had worked. Not only had he fooled the others, but even his own self. Of course, he had been bisexual at the time, still discovering who he was. Hell, he still is…that is, trying to find who he really is.

Yukina-San…

Yukina. She had been the timid sort of girl, possessing some traditional ways about her that he had been attracted to. It really was not her beauty that caught his eye, though more or less, that was only half the case. She was a lady, pure and simple, but even she did not acquire Ref's kind of refinement. But she was not his, in fact, never was. And while reflecting back upon her, he could no longer understand as to what made him believe that they were destined to be together. Perhaps it was his desire to be the hero, let alone be accepted, that had drawn him to her…

The red string of fate had been wrong, dead wrong. Why it had been there, he really had no clue. The joke was him, he assumed.

However, he had learned that fate was a trickster by nature and that things are not always what they seem or appear to be. Perhaps fate, in itself, had deployed such a sordid scheme merely for the purpose of setting everything in place. Think about it. He would not be who he is now today if he had not voluntarily involved himself to tag along with Urameshi to solve Spirit World's cases and disasters. And it took one girl to get him completely into the game, and then it was set and match.

…But that was the only positive side to the story. As for the rest… Well…

He closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind of all the rushing thoughts.

His heart panged with an insurmountable ache as he reminisced, his eyes desperately demanding to unlock the floodgates. There's just too much to forget and it was entirely beyond the pale. But he fought back anyway, refusing to relieve his feelings.

Already, another voice was telling him that he needed no one. No warmth of feelings of love. All he needed was himself, a life of casting evil looks and glaring at his future enemies--

His mind ripped to a stop, like a record.

ACK! All these voices, images and memories! He needed a plunger to unclog his brain of all of this mumbo-jumbo.

His mind was littered with so much jargon. What was he? Alice or The Infamous Jabberwocky?

No one likes the Jabberwock. He seriously doubted it since most depictions of such a beast were that of horrendous dragons, usually the black and nightmarish kind. And he was no dragon.

Why was he even thinking about this? Where had his mind gone?

_"…My mind is a scary place…"_ He thought warily, shifting his eyes from side to side. _"…I should stay out of it… Heh… Out of my mind… I'm out of my mind…that explains a lot of things…"_

Either his psyche was set on a whim of its own or he was slowly starting to lose it, his sanity eroding, crumbing away from between his fingers like sand in an hourglass…

Where was he anyway? …Oh, that's right…

"You know, you could just use my name." Kazuma replied shakily, grimacing to himself as his orpiment eyes shined like light radiating upon crystals. "You know, Kuwabara. Kazuma. It is what has been given to me by my parents. You know, you could call me Kuwabara. Everyone else does, besides my family and Yukina-san."

The Dark Prince stood upright, not once had he taken his eyes off the psychic. He had been carefully observing his behavior when the detective's mind had taken a voyage into space, and pretty much, he had picked up on what he was thinking about. …Some of the thoughts had actually ignited the emotional thorns in his side, chiefly the one that went by the name "envy".

He elegant reached over, his right hand whooshing towards him. The curly haired man reeled back, swaying like a drunken buccaneer on a rocking ship, only then to be patted upon the head seconds later.

"I believe we should move on back, Nemo." Ref said, intentionally ignoring Kuwabara's request.

The Prince's blatant refusal to use his birth name relatively hassled the detective, setting fire to him once again. "HEY! DIDN'T YOU HEAR WHAT I JUST SAID?" He spat as he scowled

With a smirk, The Dark Prince countered; "Of course, Nemo." He then tugged upon a strand of the curly and vibrant orange-red hair, taking a whiff of the owner's scent with his strong sense of smell.

"I don't get it! You used my name last night!" Kazuma yelled, both exasperated and stupefied at the same time. He wore this fraught yet dumbfounded expression upon his countenance as he analyzed the situation, holding out his hands in despair with his fingers curled upwards. After quickly realizing that the man was doing it all on purpose, he became all the more melodramatic, screaming as he gestured about frantically in place. "WHY NOT NOW?"

His eyes blazed, literally set afire in all their terrifying glory.

A warm wet feeling had abruptly slashed against his right cheek. Kuwabara turned hot pink, his mouth hanging open as he stared. He had been licked!

"We can either go back to the shrine…" proposed The Demon God with a maniacal grin. "Or at least somewhere else where there isn't any sunlight."

The detective fell over onto the ground, anime style. He got up moments later and asked; "What? Who are you? Dracula?" He was incredulous to what he was hearing.

"No. The sun just pisses me off." Reficul answered, his voice dripping with disdain towards the glowing disk in the sky. "And I prefer your light instead."

Kazuma opened his mouth, preparing to speak, but words would not flow out.

"Besides, you are far from being properly dressed." Reficul asserted, who's eyes were still tightly fixed upon the other male. A grimly looking smile appeared upon his visage, though fierce yet perverted. He was steadfast in making a point, knowing that indeed someone was watching them from afar.

He closed his eyes, his mind's eye seeking out the spy at an incredible speed. In a matter of seconds, his mind had already conceived a vision as to who it was, zooming in on figures who were a great distance away from this precise location. In an instant, they knew that he had caught them red-handed and quickly disappeared.

The Dark Prince seemed all the more gothic with his eyes now shut, his eyelids coated with a rich smut black coloration, appearing almost abnormal according to the human anatomy. Ref was not human and neither did he wear make-up, meaning that the color of his eyelids was due to the biological development by an accumulation of anomalous pigments in his skin. They were as natural as the hair or the pointy elfin-like ears upon his head.

"Wait!"

Reficul's almond-shaped oculars snapped open, turning his interest back upon the psychic.

"I've been wanting to try something for some time now." Kazuma said as he swaggered on over to a barren patch of dirt, strumming his white washboard abs. "I've been practicing transmutations and spells for quite some time, particularly in the spare time when I had nothing else better to do…" He beamed as he crouched down to begin doodling symbols into the earth. "Which happened quite a bit, though I did often multitasked. Of course, as of yet…I have not had any success in achieving this maneuver perfectly, that is the one I'm about to attempt."

Kazuma's favorite subject had always been science in any nature or form, which would explain as to why he once desired to be a scientist or a doctor. Ref understood his desires, recalling the times when he had peeked into the windows of the classes that the curly headed man had attended in while in both Middle School and High School.

Alchemy was not just a philosophy, but mainly a form of science in its own category. Magic, or witchcraft, was on the supernatural field, though the two are no different and were compatible with one another. Both science and witchcraft aim to change the course of future events. Kazuma was into all of that and above, and got a kick out of explaining their fundamentals. Call him a nerd, but to him any phenomenon was an interesting topic, which had replaced his boasting about his achievements; like saving the day.

"Okay, magic man. I'll bite." The Dark Prince observed curiously, raising an eyebrow at him. "What is it exactly you are trying to pull?"

"It's simple!" Kazuma answered blithely, quite enthusiastic over the whole ordeal. "I'm metamorphosing the atomic compounds to create something to wear!"

"…Out of the dust from the ground?" Ref opposed the idea charily. He was amused, more or less, but still skeptic towards how something as complicated as clothing could result from something so simple. "Aren't materials in clothing articles found in other substances… Say for instance, cotton?" He added rhetorically.

"Don't rain on my parade, pal!" The psychic flared vehemently, his tone sharp yet petulant.

Ref smirked, finding the other man's moments of frivolous ire to be one of his more endearing qualities. He was utterly enticing when he is pissy like that.

"So far, I've only managed to make newts and snakes…" Kazuma muttered austerely. "I don't know what that has anything to do with leather clothing. But I have magically repaired my stuff before. And to think, most skeptics claim it to be entirely impossible…" Once finishing the first step to his craft, he glanced over at the demon. "You can laugh all you want, but I've made my decision."

By the time he was finished, he had drawn two separate graphs: The objective and the entry points. He had also created a protective circle around him, forming a barrier, which was something that he believed to be definitely needed in order to keep from being affected in any way while performing the next step of this craft. He was still awfully cautious during his experimentations.

"Just sit back and watch, dammit." The psychic further told him, already preparing for the use of his spirit energy, summoning the power from within. "And I'll show you some real hocus pocus. Kurama may have his freaky plants, Hiei with his dragon and creepy third thingamajig, and Urameshi with his…whatever. But I'm breaking all the laws of physics known to man!"

His own spirit was now emitting waves of excelled energy, which conducted in the manner of a static charge similar in a plasma globe, rippling through the air as his body began to likewise illuminate like a glowworm. His eyes had altered again and were like spinning pygmy disks of fire. He was chanting, forming extra protection with the use of magic. His vibrant and curly locks drifted up into the air around him, floating like wraithlike anomalies.

"Eidolon, Nemo." Ref commended, overcome by intrigue. He was fixated intently upon his whimsy, entranced. There was a certain magnificence that could be found in the psychic, at least in the Dark Prince's point of view there is.

"If I were you, I'd stand back!" Kazuma cried out a shot of warning for anyone in the vicinity to steer clear of him. "And without further ado, here I go ladies and gentlemen!"

And with that, he maneuvered quick hand signals and then purposely whacked the ground with the palms of his hands.

In that very instant, his markings had suddenly appeared, and all of them at once.

Down below is the written description in all of their entirety:

_The symbol of The World Triad was upon his forehead, with lines that sprouted out in a peculiar shape of an upside-down star. The first and upper top lines stretched out across his forehead. The second row of lines, which were also the longest, curved downward over his eyes and all the way down past his cheeks. It is these lines that ended in what appeared to be upside-down crosses. And finally, the last line ran down the top of his nose._

_Around is eyes, he also bore the markings similar to that of the deity of Horus, or the "Udjat". The upper brim of his lips was fully highlighted, as well, as though painted by lipstick. And descending from in-between his oral cavity, right down in the center, was a line that went past his chin._

_Pentagrams: One upon each hand and foot, one upon the top of each upper arm, and one exceptionally large pentagram upon his back. Two separate sized circles encased each star and within the middle of said stars was the shape of an "Evil Eye"._

_The largest pentagram upon his back also had more angles and points, eight points to be exact, and surrounding it were the five elements as well as cryptic language known as "The Language of The Birds"; AKA Enochian or "Angel Keys". Below the Petagram upon his back, extended a partial peace symbol, or "Crow's Foot". Under the "Crow's Foot" was the "Double Cross of Lorraine", which is connected to an "Infinity" symbol blow it._

_Unicursal Hexagrams were found upon the palms of his hands and one upon the back of his neck, while "Blair Witch" symbols were located upon his wrists and above his ankles. Large spirals and double spirals upon his arms and legs; the spirals were upon his knees and elbows, while the double spirals were upon the inner parts of his forearms and upon the sides of his legs._

_A large "Black Sun" symbol upon his chest, right in the very center and above his heart, encircled by runes, and a yin-yang symbol in the very middle. Below the symbols upon his chest was "The Shri Yantra". Furthermore, below them was a small upside-down pentagram, right around the navel._

_And upon his body, what appeared to be Hanna fashioned body art, all to which was formed in the shape of elegant lines, arrows, divine feminine symbols, and various "WHEEL"s._

_That is, from afar._

_However, a closer look revealed that the markings were actually formed by Alchemy symbols, Enochian symbolisms, Runes, Ancient Hieroglyphs, and other unknown and perhaps forgotten symbolisms…rather than being merely artwork or tribal markings._

_The Alchemy symbols included: The Seasons, Time Periods, Four Basic Elements, Mundane Elements, Other Elements and Substances, Planetary Glyphs, Gold and other Metals, Alchemical Compounds, the Twelve Core Alchemical Processes, and more._

_These symbols were small, in fact, some of them were actually quite diminutive._

_The "arrow" markings were upon his toes and fingers, which extended from the pentagrams upon his extremities. Much larger "arrow"s pointed towards these said pentagrams, which were upon the top of his arms and shins. However, the thick lines of these arrows upon the shins snaked up the back of his thighs, which finally ceased on his lower back, pointing up towards the other symbols upon his back. The same can be said for the ones upon his upper arms, forming around the other symbols just so those arrows could point towards his largest pentagram._

_The rest of the neatly formed shapes were upon his thighs and upper arms, and from them extended many lines which encircled his limbs._

_In short, he was literally covered from head to toe in symbols, to which all way placed in intricate detail. If something as meticulous like this was done by hand, it would take years to accomplish. He looked the part of some witchdoctor who is part of a mysterious occult, either that or he had gone "tattoo happy"._

The veins in his body rolled and twitched beneath the surface of his skin. His flesh stung like pins and needles, feeling exceptionally hot right now. His body jarred while the pentagram upon his back flashed, the reason being that the set positions upon the symbol were struggling to reposition; like a bizarre compass having difficulty in being set in motion. Moreover, it then began to flicker and hiss. The symbols upon his torso behaved in a similar fashion, only they disappeared in a matter of moments.

"That's weird." He murmured, his eyes wide and clearly on himself now rather on his target. "That's never happened before." In truth, he had never once seen himself to have this many markings before, let alone even know that he had all of these.

Reficul narrowed his eyes at the scene, studying the recent turn of events unraveling before him. _"He's apparently has not regained the full peak of his powers. Most of his seals have yet to be broken… Which would explain as to why he does not remember anything between us as of yet."_ He valuated silently, then glowered when he thought of the ones responsible for this struck ill fortune. "That burns my ass." The god growled tersely as he bared his teeth, his upper lip quivering as indignation permeated through his core.

Kazuma's symbols had all at once vanished as his hands literally set aflame. Energy pulsed through the ground like currents of electricity, zipping from the access key towards the goal. The force of the power propelled him backwards, like a askew propulsion of a rocket gone awry.

Fortuitously, his dark knight had whooshed in and caught him in midair before any severe damage could be done to him. He still managed to pull off this endeavor despite that the ground was quaking beneath his feet; now that is talent. The orange-red haired psychic, on the other hand, appeared as though he almost had a heart attack, which was highly understandable.

He should have eschewed the use of his barriers, because the system of protection had ultimately backfired. Wards are very fickle like that.

Concerned, Ref looked downward at him, Kazuma resting in his arms as the lad tied to catch his breath. He can hear the other man's heart palpitating like crazy, thudding against his ribcage. "Are you alright, Nemo?" It was a kind gesture, really, since he honestly did not need to ask.

"Yeah…" Kazuma answered, all the while studying his hands from front to back as he regained some of his composure back. They appeared perfectly normal now, with not a burn or scratch to be seen. "But that was weird how that had happened. …I could have sworn my hands were on fire." He paused for a moment, now almost over with hyperventilating. "And my name is not Nemo." He breathed out in a hot whisper, his voice scratchy and strained. "It's Kuwabara."

The Dark Prince merely grinned at him, causing the detective to groan in response.

Kazuma turned his head away from the man, only then to behold as to what he had created.

A living emblem of majestic nature; a large and sturdy chest, its lofty appendages reaching up towards the sky, and an array of jewels that generated a saccharine fragrance. In truth, it was stunning, but it was not what he was aiming for.

He twitched. "WHAT?!"

"Hmm. Needs practice." Reficul commented, then parseltongued; i.e. he let out a snake-like hiss.

"Fuck! Son-ova-bitch!" Kazuma fumed. His eyes were all the more sharp and acute, now appearing like large horizontal ovals with their top sides disposed of. "How am I supposed to wear that?! I can't wear a tree!"

Not that he despised the thing, he was just rather disappointed with himself. And it showed on his face, too, like a kid who was forced to sit in the time-out corner wearing a "dunce" hat. Perhaps there had been a forgotten seed hidden under that soil.

"Especially one that size." Reficul remarked, finding humor in this, to which then he exploded into medieval villainous laughter.

"I WAS DISTRACTED!" Kazuma hollered, getting over carried away. "That was just a warm-up exercise!"

"In truth, you had used too much of the wrong power." The demon-god informed as he set him down upon his feet.

The psychic crossed his arms and pouted. What was wrong with him now, no one will probably know, but he appeared to be going through a state of PMS. What a wonderful surprise for the others back at the shrine.

The wind suddenly picked up, making that shrilling sound like it did last time.

"I'm cold." He muttered, a chill coming over him again. Remember, he's half naked right now.

Reficul removed his coat, only then to place it around the other man's shoulders. "Until you get it right. Feel free to be sporting my coat while you're playing God." He began to tuck his lover's arms through the sleeves, then buckled up the buttons and belts together to seal the deal.

Kazuma flushed, blinking at him in surprise. He was stunned by the god, who dressed him up like a doll with tender care. He would have refused, but Ref seemed awfully insistent and went through the trouble of doing it already anyway. Seriously, the guy had to bend down a bit in order to put it on him. And Enma help him, he now looked like a cross between a steam punk and a retro Goth without his coat.

"Oh gee, thanks." said Kazuma moments later, though he was unsure if he should be wearing it. "…But wouldn't the base of the tails drag onto the ground? It would ruin it." He tugged nervously upon a lock of his own hair, feeling both incredibly awkward and small.

"No matter." Came the reassuring answer from The Prince of Hell, the god of the demons. "I can always get a new one."

"Well, that is very hospitable of you." Kazuma replied. He glanced around circumspectly at his surroundings. "…But I think I am done playing for today, though I would not mind enjoying the view out here. I'm not ready to go back just yet."

"Then before you proceed any further…" The Prince said as he moved to be at his side. "Allow me to be your escort." He offered his arm, sending him that haunting yet dreamy gaze. They seemed to be speaking a language all of their own, beckoning the younger man to succumb.

He patiently waited upon his answer.

Kazuma stared into those spellbinding red orbs, and for moment he thought he could drown in them. His lips gingerly curled up into a coy smile and slid his upper limb in, looping their arms together.

Reficul beamed delightedly. He appeared to be depraved, of course, but it was a sure sign that he was more than pleased.

"Te amo…" He whispered to him as they began to amble onward, speaking in the Latin tongue. "Amor omnia vincit." [I love you. Love conquers all.]

The psychic did not know exactly as to what had been said that moment, but he had a feeling that it meant something special.

However, he found something to be rather puzzling about the man, something he that could not quite comprehend...

He's rather cold for a demon, with him being alive and all. He was really cool to the touch. It was similar to Yukina's skin temperature, only more like midnight till dawn than ice, not to mention the fact that he did not appear to be a winter or ice demon in the least. Most of all, which was the most contradictory aspect of them all when comparing him with people like Yukina and Touya, he produced fire and smelled like dusky burnt wood; sort of woodsy yet spicy but has a distinctive smell all of its own.

Kazuma still wondered about what exact species he was, let alone who he was. The demon was such a mystery to him, even with his psychic powers. Sure, he could perhaps pry into his mind to get the information he wanted, but he was too modest and honorable to do such a heinous thing like that. Pulling a maneuver like that was practically cheap and underhanded, not to mention offensive. Something that he would never do, even though he had the power to.

Maybe... Just maybe... One day Ref will tell him.

He'll just have to trust him. And he did seem to be a trustworthy man.

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's comments:**

Well, this chapter was okay. It's loaded with Nemos, Jabberwockies, and Dragons... Oh my! And it's true, a Jabberwock is usually depicted to be a dragon.. And guess who the dragon is. LOL Here's a hint: Kazuma is not the one who's a snake with bat wings, horns upon his head, and forked tail.

As much as I'd love to just jump into the good stuff.. I really can't. One good reason, things take time in the actual world. Another good reason is because I don't want to rush this relationship forming between Kazuma and Ref. Sorry, you can't just… Fall in love at first glance and instantly be together forever. And honestly, Kazuma had already been through that already.

I was honestly going to continue it.. To add more to this chapter, as in adding what the others are doing.

But I decided that this scene here needed to have it's own chapter. I did not want to take away from them, really.


	14. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

Also, the angels in this story here are a different and separate race of their own, they are unlike the ones you read about in most religions. They are more dangerous than demons, yet usually come off as being harmless. They are friendly enemies, which is the worst kind.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Warning:** Homosexuality, graphic violence, dark content, blood, vulgar language, and weirdness that will ensue.

**Rating:** …Mature content. Not really for anyone under the age of 18, but if you are mentally mature enough, go ahead and read.

I want to thank you all for your reviews! They mean so much to me! I am glad some of you enjoyed the last chapter.

* * *

**LUCKY THIRTEEEN**

_"In the sea without lees_  
_Standeth the bird of Hermes_  
_Eating his wings variable_  
_And maketh himself yet full stable_  
_When all his feathers be from him gone_  
_He standeth still here as a stone_  
_Here is now both white and red_  
_And all so the stone to quicken the dead_  
_All and some without fable_  
_Both hard and soft and malleable_  
_Understand now well and right_  
_And thank you God of this sight"_

_…_

**_"Here is the last of the Red, and the beginning to put away the dead._**

**_The bird of Hermes is my name eating my wings to make me tame."_**

**_- The Ripley Scroll; The Elixir Vitae._**

_["Eat your wings, then all will be overdone._

_And thou shall have no more freedom from thereon._

_Into the hands of thy captors, a puppet you shall become_

_Until the day when the sun is at last black and seems as though gone."]_

_...  
_

Koenma stared long and hard at the medieval quatrains that his analyst team had sent him, all to which was contained in a very special looking letter. Alabaster paper sealed shut with red wax, the emblem of the seal was that of a phoenix with a serpent encircling it and devouring its own tail. The paper itself was elaborately traced with black gold.

He had this letter for at least a week by now, not knowing what to do with it.

So, this was the clue that The Angels had left for them to decipher?

At first, he had been clueless as to what the poem meant, it seemed as though pure and simple mumbo-jumbo to him. But thanks to Kurama's assistance, he realized a hidden translation located at the bottom of the piece that did not belong to "The Ripley Scroll". However, those words were not there until Kurama had insisted that the Reikai Prince ought to place his own spiritual pressure upon the paper.

…

_"This is the work of an alchemist." Kurama had explained. " And the quatrains themselves originally date back to the fifteenth century."_

_"You know Alchemy, Kurama?" Koenma had questioned, surprised that the fox would know such a complicated science. "I did not know that you were into the occult."_

_"No." Was his answer. "But I figured that it would work. Also, you must remember that I was once Yoko. Cracking codes is something that I do, though I have come across such work before… Once."_

…

It was a message intended for their heir, no doubt, as a note of warning. But instead, the devils had send it to him, rather than not. It was quite clear that they wanted him to read it, being that only his energy could unlock the secrets within. Worst of all, Sensui had been the one who had sent it, though it was not written by his own hand.

The words lingered in his head even when he was not looking at it, like a curse had been cast upon the piece of parchment.

Was it merely to mock him? Had they found The Devil's child, their long awaited Chosen One? Or was this all a scare tactic, a mere act of propaganda?

The letter was vague. Very indistinguishable.

Damn these Karma Hounds! Perhaps their goal of sending this to him was to excite him, to make him worry, and ultimately to stress him out. Nevertheless, this was a problem to consider.

Koenma rubbed his temples with his palms, leaning warily against the kitchen table, depending upon the strength of his elbows to help prop him up. The letter laid open before him, while his special mainframe was exposed yet set to the side.

"I take it that are you still dwelling on that note, Koenma?" Kurama inquired, walking over with Yukina, Keiko, and Botan.

Koenma looked up from said note and directed his attention towards them. "Yes, and it is driving me bananas!" He answered and then pulled on his hair.

"Speaking of which…" Botan spoke up. "I think something is wrong with Shizuru. She's gone and locked herself up in a room, refusing to come out."

"Don't tell me we have another victim in all this mess!" The Prince of Reikai shouted with a whine. "I can't believe this is all happening!" It was obvious that his mind was not really focusing on his friends, being too busy with the catastrophe that was unveiling.

"I don't know, sir." The Reaper replied, oblivious to the fact that he was no longer listening. "I honestly can't say, Lord Koenma. She refuses to speak." Concern was laying heavily in her tone.

"I think it has something to do with Kuwabara." Keiko mentioned starkly, rubbing her left arm uncomfortably. "Ever since he had his episode, she's been so…not herself."

"You speak as though you are blaming him." Yukina said, giving her an incredulous look. "Kazuma has been more upset than we have been and for much longer. Perhaps Shizuru-San feels his pain."

The brown haired girl snootily looked away from her, apparently miffed about how the koorime disagreed and brought her to the floor like that. The others stared at her, wondering what had possibly crawled up the girl's shorts just now.

Unknown to them, she was mentally reminiscing about the look she had seen in his eyes. Hotter than iron need be, he stared upon her as though she was truly wretched. His eyes cast a haunting glow, searing into her soul like fire. All at once, she could feel everything, from his pain to the physical hardships. She relived memories dated back to the years when they were still united. The very times when Yusuke and she would laugh about him behind his back, those cracks her husband had made while he was present, and even the times when everyone laughed at him while Yusuke would beat him up real bad either for sport or out of annoyance. She had merely laughed back then, but apparently she had made a mistake by doing so. In all honesty, she thought Kuwabara to be obnoxious in character, a violent and rambunctious friend of her lover… But now…

She saw no point to continue on being here any further, even after receiving Master Gong's elegant speech. She just could not get it out of her head.

If eyes are the gateway to the soul, then she reckoned his was surely lost. And it was a lost call.

"Keiko…" Botan admonished. "You can't be serious. After all, you're married to Yusuke of all people. And he's a demon, but you're not scared of him." She hoped that this would appeal to her. "What difference does it make now that Kuwabara is one, too?"

The girl quickly snapped her head towards her, standing firmly as she balled her hands into fists. "Look, Botan." She warned, her almond colored eyes flashing with anger. "I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't compare my husband to that monster." She was about to death-slap someone real quick. "Yusuke wouldn't have done what he did!"

Botan returned her glare, looking just as pissed off herself. "…Why you little…" She placed her hands upon her hips.

Keiko's audacity to undermined her friend like that made her absolutely furious. How would she know that the ex-detective would have never done such a thing? She was never there while he fought! She could not believe this. This was the person who wanted nothing more than to mend the broken friendship between her husband and their orange-red haired friend. Now she was having second thoughts?

"Stop being SO judgmental!" The blue haired fairy accused, whipping her pony tail behind her as she jerked her head in a circular fashion. "At least Kuwabara has an honor code! And he's done WAY MORE for the good of others than you have EVER!"

Now, that pushed a button in the other girl.

"Well, maybe I should have never came in the first place!" Keiko fumed, getting all up in Botan's face.

"Ladies. Please." Kurama interjected, immediately stepping in to put an end to this argument before it progresses into something more. "We have other more important matters to attend to at hand, here."

However, the girls touchily turned away from each other, harrumphing as they stuck their noses up and crossed their arms out of indignation.

Kurama sweat dropped, while sweet little Yukina sighed in despair.

"Hey! Everyone!" Koenma suddenly called for their attention. "Take a look at this! Something is happening to my telecommunication processor!"

Botan, Yukina, and Kurama rushed over as demigod brought the uncanny laptop nearer to himself, sort of leaving Keiko in the dust. The Fox and the Reaper stood over his shoulder, while the Ice koorime watched from behind. Koenma was trying to reboot and fix the issue, all the while fretting and losing his patience while dealing with the contraption.

Finally, a voice came through; "Salutations, Prince Koenma. I am Number Three."

Immediately, an image appeared upon the screen. Live Footage.

The image and communication was quite clear, conversely, the figure responsible was in incognito. His identity was concealed in shadow.

"I must say, I am very pleased in the least to at last meet the son of Great King Enma." Spoke the dark figure, speaking in a tone as though this was but a mere cordial conversation. "Though, I see that he's having you do his work again, yes?"

The demigod blinked at the screen, surprised at how mellow and well-mannered this devil was. It made him feel quite uneasy, especially with how the being watched him. He had glowing green eyes and a cat-like grin.

"Yes, well…" Koenma began nervously, only then to begin shouting demands on impulse. "How did you get this frequency? And where is your master?"

"Now, now…" Came the reply. "Why talk about that when we can discuss a more essential matter? Something more interesting." His character remained diplomatic and calm.

The Prince and the others stared at the screen. Keiko, however, was no longer with them in the room. She could not see nor hear what was going on, so she left.

"You're rather new to this affair, aren't you?" The angel inquired, though chances are he already knew the answer from the start. "No matter, no matter… By the expression of animosity upon your visage, I believe you've finally read the parchment we sent you. Good. Now that that's taken care of… Onto more addressing matters."

Koenma, Botan, and Kurama exchanged glances, at loss for words. As Yusuke would say "This shit is fucking unbelievable." And they silently agreed to that. This enemy had to be the strangest by far that they've ever had the privilege to encounter.

"Allow me to disclose to you valuable information." Number 3 stated. "Not only to play more fair, but to make this all the more captivating. After all, it will satisfy me quite well to know that you all had perished, knowing that despite what you knew…you still could not prolong the inevitable."

Koenma growled. "You're sick and twisted!"

"Hmm. Yes. But that is only a matter of opinion." Number 3 countered drolly. "Please heed to what I am stating. It's about Number Thirteen."

The Prince's eyes grew twice their size. "Wait!" He sputtered. "There's only twelve of you! Including your malevolent leader!"

The other two looked at him again, puzzled by his declaration.

"Twelve?" questioned Kurama.

"Well, that's supposed to be how many that make up The Head." Koenma elucidated. "A.K.A, their god and the princes beneath him. You see, they run things pretty much like an imperial cast. There's their god, who is also their master. His word is law. Underneath him are the princes, then the lords, and pretty much it goes down in that direction when concerning status and power. The princes, in this case, were known as Mystery Eleven. They are The Devil's top henchmen, his royal court. When you put HIM and THEM together, that makes TWELVE. Of course, that does not include his messenger."

"Oh." The fairy uttered, feeling letdown by her quick expectations. "And here I was hoping that was how many there were in general."

A round of applause could be heard from the opposite end of the line, with Number 3 included.

"Very knowledgeable of you." He congratulated, clapping for a second longer. "Should you inform them that all thirteen of us are Seraphim as well? However, only two of us consist of having twelve wings."

"So, this means you've found him?" Koenma asked, dreading the answer. Sweat began to pop off him in beads. "…Or her?"

"Yes." There was a brief pause. "…We have."

Cue in the ominous music.

A chill ran down Kurama's spine. Botan paled, feeling as though she had became heavy and ill. Yukina gasped, holding her hands over her mouth. And the Reikai Prince was now literally shaking in his boots, his brown eyes broadened with the look of horror.

Koenma envisioned what it would now be like: A powerful figure with a dangerous mind. With the power to curse a man, to bewitch him, and even force him to commit his own demise and to die by his own hands as though an act of suicide. And that was just part of it. Killing him or her would prove to be nearly impossible, if possible at all. This person is supposed to be immortal, cursed to be the last one to remain in The End of Days. The humans will have all passed away and most of the demon races will be gone, at least the weaker ones will be.

He had been told the stories, which have been haunting him in his sleep ever since this issue had surfaced.

"Now, I know that this is problematic for you…" The angel beamed. "But for us, well, you can only imagine how elated we have been. We've been searching for nearly two decades. You can thank your precious humans for that."

"Where is he? Who is he?" The Reikai Prince demanded, speaking in a low tone of voice and mustering enough bile to let it be known how significantly disgusted he was right now.

"Sorry." The being wiggled his finger from side to side. "That's for us to know and for you to find out."

"YOU SWOLLEN-HEADED SHOWBOATS!" Koenma howled as he launched himself at the screen, blinded by his own rage. "YOU HAVE SOME NERVE TO BE WAVING YOUR VICTORY IN OUR FACES,YOU PRICKS!" Then it clicked in his brain, drawing back to awareness and realizing precisely whom he was telling off. He fretted, and in matter of seconds he scooted backwards with his chair, away from the screen. "I didn't mean that!"

It is always the friendliest of enemies who is the world's worst. Always giving you that cockeyed grin while they slice you in two.

Botan sweat dropped at her boss, groaning unhappily as she grimaced.

Kurama heaved a sigh.

_"…Do you honestly believe that he's telling the truth...?"_

Yoko's inaudible voice rang, catching Kurama's attention.

_"…Think for a moment… I've dealt with these creatures before, came across a few in my time while I was having my ventures in human world. They are the most double faced race in existence. Angels always tell the truth, even though they lie. And angels lie to keep control…"_

"Enough." The redhead spoke up, taking over Koenma's spot in the conversation. "What is it that you intend to do? If what you say is true, then why have you not proceeded in your efforts?"

Number 3 cracked a smile at him. The grin then developed more, now profound yet giddy; like a hyper child who has had way too much candy.

"When the time is right, we will." Was his answer.

Seconds later, the screen goes completely black.

Kurama did not know whether he was bluffing or not. It was hard to tell. Surely, the rumors had been true all along and Yoko was right about what he had said.

Something was amiss. They should have executed their diabolical schemes by now, or at least begin to hatch them.

Because if what they said was really true…

Could Sensui have been The One all along?

And if that was the case… Why wait?

He glanced over at the letter, something catching his eye. His eyes widened when he realized how the paper changed significantly.

Bleeding down the parchment in a phantasmal behavior, an image of a skull appeared. The illustration appeared beastly and demonic as it befitted it's symbolic meaning; death. The jaws of the skull was ajar, a ghastly expression, with rows of sharp teeth and long fangs. Horns protruded from the temples of the head and curled upwards and were shaped in a peculiar manner. The most bizarre thing about the image, however, was the symbols that appeared upon the top of the head, past the eyes, and also upon the bottom jaw bone.

Either the emblem had been timed...or someone or something had triggered it's occurrence.

The paper became aflame, spontaneously, and disintegrated in a matter of seconds.

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

Sorry about this chapter you guys.

Again, I don't want rush things. I don't. And I also could not add anymore to this chapter… I could not. I just, got stomped.. So, I decided to end it here. This was actually part of the other chapter.

Also, I know a lot of you keep saying or asking "Kurama must know! Does he know? I bet he does!" …Well, that's the funny thing about seals. They not only prohibit power, but the conceal an identity. So, chances are… He does not know, at least as of right now.

As for Hiei. Who knows. He's got that third eye, remember. He'd be the one to perhaps figure it out first.

But who is to say who the chosen one actually is. It could be Sensui. You never know. No one will know for sure until the revealing.

Also, angels are very hard to locate. They can cloak themselves very well within their surroundings. They could be right beside you, yet there appears to be nothing there..


	15. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

Also, the angels in this story here are a different and separate race of their own, they are unlike the ones you read about in most religions. They are more dangerous than demons, yet usually come off as being harmless. They are friendly enemies, which is the worst kind.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Warning:** Homosexuality, graphic violence, dark content, blood, vulgar language, and weirdness that will ensue.

**Rating:** …Mature content. Not really for anyone under the age of 18, but if you are mentally mature enough, go ahead and read.

Sorry that the translation of the quatrain was unclear, it's not really supposed to be. However, it does regard "freedom".

Kinnys: Yes, Keiko's… In a mood? LOL. She has her reasons, though. And Botan, I just can't see her stand by and just take something like that.

Dark: Perhaps he is, perhaps he's not. We know he's not completely human, though chances are he is not a demon. And even if he IS an angel, that doesn't necessarily mean that he's THE ONE. Then again.. You never know. It's not really our job to find out, more like characters' in the story who needs to do that.

Ev: Sensui is involved, yes, more so than you see. He just has not shown his face yet. Angels can be like that… So undetected and out of sight. They are intangible creatures in this story. They have to be… They are the forces of karama and some are even fates, meaning that they do control what goes around in the world. And Yes, poor Keiko. I believe you've figured out it out better than anyone here. XD Again, like I told Dark… It's not our job to find out who it is, it's us going along with the ride… And as for Kurama, he may or may have not been affected, but as you had said.. I don't think it would have affected him as much. One, he's a demon, two… Like you said, he's Yoko.

And thank you all for your comments and reviews!

* * *

**HAPPINESS IS A WARM GUN**

**["The Stuff Villains Are Made Of"]  
**

_'What are you thinking?' I sometimes ask myself. But then I realize that though it is me, it sounds as this voice belongs to someone much wiser and far more experienced._

_'You think that in life that someone is just going to hand you a book of spells with a list of cure alls? Or perhaps you believe some force or deity is going to magically produce all of your wishes?_

_Life is not about that._

_As we grow older, it is for us to learn that what one should truly desire… Is a strong spirit and a will to overcome any obstacle. It is our strength…to never give up that makes the difference to who we are and where we're going to be next!_

_Life's a journey, not a destination. We're suppose to learn from our experiences. It's not all fun and games, in fact, it never was._

_And strength is not just a physical aspect._

_And if we cease to continue further on in our journey, then we are good as dead._

_It's a tricky concept to wrap your head around… But the fabric of time and space is merely an illusion._

_Immortality of the soul. It's how a person should live.'_

_--Kazuma Kuwabara_

**_oOo_**

_"I went outside to take a walk_  
_ So I could relive memories_  
_ I thought that you would lend a hand_  
_ But you were never ever there_

_ It's all in your mind_  
_ You do what you wanna do_

_ Your promises are all played out_  
_ You've got your wish, you've worn me down_  
_ I treated you the best I could_  
_ I realize that I don't need you_

_ I lost my way when you left home_  
_ I thought that you could change your life_  
_ What did I do, why do you lie?_  
_ You've walked back in, my hands are tied_

_ It's all in your mind_  
_ You do what you wanna do_

_ Your promises are all played out_  
_ You've got your wish, you've worn me down_  
_ I treated you the best I could_  
_ I realize that I don't need you_

_ It's all in your mind_  
_ You do what you wanna do_

_ It's all in your mind_  
_ You do what you want to me_

_ I'm tired, I'm so damn angry_  
_ With you_  
_ Your not gonna change_  
_ I see who you really are_

_ Your promises are all played out_  
_ You've got your wish, you've worn me down_  
_ I treated you the best I could_  
_ I realize that I don't need you_

_ Your promises_  
_ Your promises_  
_ Your promises_  
_ They're all played out_  
_ You're so played out_  
_ You're so played out_  
_ You're so played out_  
_ They're all played out"_

_--Adema; "Promises"  
_

**#1#2#3**_  
_

"My aura is grey right now…though your's is a passionate red."

Both the psychic and the deity had came along a clearing, to which they had found the remains of a fallen tree. Prior to now, they had chosen to rest there upon the log, which was stiff and had yet to decompose.

The forest had acquired a mystical air, as though it was alive in more ways than one. With it's

steep and dense areas covered in lush foliage, moss, thickets, bushes, trees and other indigenous plants. Skeletal remains of deceased trees gave it that more haunting air, particularly in the area they were situated in, which also contained the bones of various animals. This location of the woods was technically a graveyard. Nevertheless, the place was enchanting, and gave the vibe similar to a lucid dream.

Kazuma continued; "I feel so useless." He hanged his head low, studying the lines in his hands.

His curly tresses dangled in his face, his eyes hooded in shadow. No beautiful he appeared, Ref could see the definition of depression written all over his demeanor.

"Why is that?" The Prince asked, studying his heart's desire's body language. He could sense that something was on the lad's mind.

"Because I should be out there looking for this person…" The psychic enlightened softly, his tone a little above a raspy whisper. "But I sense nothing out of the unusual. Despite all the voices I hear murmuring inside of my head in eerie whispers. I can hear them all, the people, as though they are a part of me some how… I can't seem to successfully block them out. Tis all willy-nilly and all, and I know the stakes are at an all time high, but I pick nothing up out of the extraordinary… Just people being people and society in it's norm." He heaved a troubled sigh and looked at the demon-god. "I bet you think I'm nuts for saying that."

"No, in fact, quite the contraire." answered Reficul as he reached over and brushed aside the locks of hair from the psychic's face, who all the while flushed harder when he received a doting stroke against the skin of his right cheek. The Dark Prince was, likewise, positioned in that direction.

"Yeah, but funny thing…" Kazuma resumed. "I can't read you. Maybe…" He paused, looking away as he considered likeable answers in his thoughts. "Just maybe, this guy we're looking for… Has the same thing, like walls around his head or something."

"Perhaps you should engage in some mental masturbation…" Ref proposed, his fingers gently combing through the other man's hair. "You seem like you could use it."

Kazuma blinked, blushing at the man's mode of expression. "What a way to say it."

Ref flashed him a crooked smile, chuckling. "Nevertheless, feel free to express your thoughts." He said. "I will surely lend an ear."

The curly haired detective thought about it for a moment, considering if he should accept the offer. First of all, he was generally surprised that someone would be actually interested to hear what was going through his mind. Secondly, he had never confided in anyone ever before. And lastly, did his opinions even matter? Learning from his past experiences, he once had came to a conclusion that everything he said had been taken too lightly; never once was he seen to be serious. …But still, what did he have to lose? Nothing, really.

"I'm inadequate for this mission." He confessed, at last speaking as he gazed upward into the firmament. His tone was laced with a melancholy passion, his eyes half shut. "I know Spirit World would prefer Urameshi to be the one to solve this rather than me. I know that Koenma doesn't believe that I'm qualified for the job and neither do the others, especially the shrimp. …And perhaps they're right." He placed his hands upon his lap and clinched his fist into tight balls, then glanced over at the other man.

The Prince of Hell nodded, signaling for him to go on.

Kuwabara looked back up, focusing his eyes upon the drifting white billows. Oh, how he longed to soar, imagining how it would be to fly through the lofty vapors. It was both silly and illogical, yes, to yearn for the same privileges that various species of animals have been blessed with. It was more of an urge than a desire.

Through his quest to find himself, he discovered a basic truth: that the all is one and one is all. The flow of the universe is impossible to fully comprehend, it's magnitude is too immense to fathom. The universe is a complex system, always moving in cycles and always growing. Alchemy helped him in more ways than one, but it had also given him a curse. And not many people saw or understood his vision. Witchcraft had also played a key role in further broadening his mind, as well as helping him harness his power.

If only alchemy and sorcery could cure his own aches. He wished he could fly far away, especially away from the things that hung above him.

"Urameshi was always such a hotshot…" He continued. "And despite the stupid things he would pull, he always won in the end… He was always better than me… Like the most beloved character on a TV show…

"He used to be my best friend, or at least I thought he was. Turns out he was more closer to Kurama. Him and I used to be so close, but there were things he would always keep from me…" The psychic mentioned with a more profound and deeper hurt, like he had been 'shot-gunned' right in his back. "And I would always be the last one to find things out. I guess he figures Kurama is a real friend and the one to mostly trust with all of his affairs and circumstances. I guess he didn't expect for all of the pieces of the puzzle to finally come into place…

"And I always had this eerie suspicion… That the only reason he came to my rescue was because the world was in danger… And perhaps because he knew I would have done the same thing for him, like he was obligated. …But when I had faced Ani, he never once stepped in to save me." He narrowed his eyes. "…But he was ready as hell to take down this Bakken guy for laying a hand upon the fox. He was going to blast the guy with his spirit gun, not caring if it would get him disqualified. Fuck, he even fought him over it…

"And it took my sacrifice to set his head straight, not before. If he had really cared, he would have tried harder. He would have harnessed his power without me faking my own demise. All he did was cry over it, an expression of guilt I assure you. Furthermore, if what Genkai had said was true…" Kazuma turned his gaze downward, finding interest in his hands as they gripped the material of the jacket. "If he was so worried about me, then why didn't he come looking for me in the first place instead of going to the arcade?"

Reficul puckered his brow, scowling surly. "..So I recall."

"And there are also the little things, but those are the things that count, too." Kazuma added, supplementing his venting session, taking it all for what it is worth. "Like the times when he said he didn't need me. He would have never spoken to the others like that. He would practically degrade me at every chance he could get, just to rile me up for kicks or to manipulate my decisions. He often treated me like I was dirt." He let out a forlorn sigh. "Can you believe that he's never once defended me? You know, stood up for me… He's never done that. Just spit his pity in my soul."

"And he's your ally?" The Prince rhetorically inquired, raising a questionable eyebrow. He was without conviction in the regards of considering those insolent fools to be trustworthy.

"I… I don't know." The fiery haired man said exasperatedly, struggling for the right words, and his knuckles turning white. "I just don't know what to believe in anymore. Or who to believe in. All I've ever been was the embodiment of some big joke." He inhaled deeply, squeezing his eyes shut.

"Sure there are good things about him," The psychic said, striving to be fair and not so biased in his own judgments. "And maybe I am to blame for refusing his help from the start. As I've said we had slowly drifted apart. The memories of him just bring pain. All I can see now is black." He reopened his eyes just a sliver. "Worst of all, the day that I left… He did not seem to care, not even enough to say good-bye. In fact, he behaved as though he was more than happy about my departure, of me being finally gone. He celebrated that night, the point of no return…

"I remember it…" He evoked, lamenting over the past, all the while feeling again that strange sensation of something stirring within. "I left that night, it was raining. I donned my best clothes and packed all that I could managed to carry. Of course, I had no money at the time, so I knew I had to journey on foot. In spite of that, I walked through that door, vowing to never return again…

"I had no reason to stay… All of my true comrades had tragically died after being brutally mauled by one of our rivals. It happened while I had been gone, I was in Makai at the time, with Urameshi and the guys to participate in a tournament. I wasn't there to save them and I blamed myself for… It was because of me, me and my bad luck that got them killed. The gang that had slaughtered them…my Komada, Kirishima, and Okubo…had been possessed by pigmy demons…

"The others just told me to get over it." His tone became abrasive, the indignation mounting. "That these things just happen." He gnashed his teeth. "Ch! How was I suppose to accept that? They did not know them well enough, so quite frankly, how could they give a damn? They could give a rats ass! It wasn't one of them that had met a terrible fate!" He had stressed out the latter two statements in a series of growls. "My friends betrayed me. And most people in that town hated my guts, while some wanted to befriend me for my psychic powers. Overall, I knew I wasn't wanted there. I knew that the best thing I could do was to move away, to move on…

"Anyway… I take the grunt and it comes back to lash me. Including now, years later, hunting me down sort of speak. All my efforts of I bury myself like a bone, my own mind my home. They held me back, held me down, they beat me up and the beat me to the ground, held me close and then pushed me around… And yet, in my absence, their hearts never grew fonder… Now they are back for more. Why can't they just leave me alone? Well, I'm sick and tired… And I just don't have the patience anymore; like jam that's been spread on too much bread." Kazuma expressed, chagrined and feeling the fever inside of the storm bubbling. "Chances are, if I ever saw him again… I would let him have it right there and then. Hell, I'll chew him a new ass. Though I hope it doesn't come to that. I just feel…so betrayed. And for that… I feel as though I have every right to hate him for it."

He began to quaver in his speech, his skin stinging as his body tingled all over and heated up in temperature.

"I used to have such faith in him… I used to dream that I could be someday like him, to be at least as great of a fighter as he… Then perhaps…maybe…others wouldn't think how useless I am, that they would see something worth wild. But how stupid is that?" He bewailed, ruing over the ideals that he now believed to be pathetic if not very foolish. "He takes the glory… While…I'm left in the gallows, metaphorically, like a marauder. I busted my balls for nothing, yet they continue to ride my ass for all it's worth…" He breathed raggedly. "I'm tired sick and tired of this sordid game. I'm not a fake, but no one ever takes me seriously…

"He could come here and cry a river of tears, for all I care…" He remarked scathingly, his eyes flashing. "But it would never change how I now feel. Yet… Everywhere I would see his face… It lasted for about a year after I had moved away, but the pain is always there."

The last two utterances struck the Dark Prince in a way, finding himself crossed between jealousy and sympathy. He did not like how the Mazoku Halfling consumed his beau's time, dwelling on the demon as though the connection that was once shared between them had been more than personal. However, he could also understand perfectly well where the psychic was coming from. "How do you think how I felt?" He thought. "What I went through. …But your face never went away."

"It's consistent and never goes away." The orange haired one raged, letting it all out by the slip of the tongue. "It's eating me alive!… I want to loath him… I want to loath him with a hot and furious passion. I should have told him to fuck off. Fuck, I should have known better than to trust him! And I regret it, too. I hated the screaming matches between us!" He said that as a confession. "All he ever did was blame me, blaming me for all the shit he kept doing to me, for what he put me through! And then laugh at me just to spite me! Him and his sick games… I hold more contempt for him now than I do fondness, no longer wishing to continue in my attachments…They've all sucked me dry." He paused, blowing out all the pent-up steam before he finally drew to a conclusion. "But alas, now that they are here, my honor is at stake and it seems I need to face this head on… And perhaps it will be my final confrontation."

After a brief moment of silence had passed, the demonic god leaned downward to look to make out the other's face. "Feel better?" He questioned.

"Yes" Kazuma affirmed, nodding. "A little." He looked over at him, inwardly having to admit to himself that he did feel that some of the weight had been lifted off his shoulders. "Thanks. I needed that." With cheeks becoming rosy, he added; "You know… You're different from the others, in fact, unlike anyone I've ever met before. You actually listen to me, others are not so willing as you. People either put up with me or refuse to listen at all."

"One doesn't deserve friends, one earns them." Reficul told as he positioned himself back, sitting straight up. He was determined to resolve all of this, starting by giving him a word of advice. "But before I begin, I must confess that I used to be a very slipshod of a man myself. In fact, I'll admit to once possessing a rancid cavalier attitude. Quite often I still am, but I was far much worse than I am today. It took a lot of experience and maturing to get to where I am now." The prince rubbed his chin, musing over his own faults as though they are something wonderful. "Would you believe me if I told you that I despised just about everybody and everything? In fact, I think I still do."

Kazuma stared at him, not knowing whether to be flabbergasted or aghast, with wide eyes and an gaping mouth. A deep chuckle rumbled in Reficul's chest, find amusement upon receiving such a look.

"I tell you the truth. That's me." The Prince of Hell stated with sincere pride, flamboyant in gesticulations and bearing a smugness about him that is much to be admired. "I am, what you might call, a brusque individual." Hell, he might as well admit that he had enough conceit and poise to spread around; like Jesus did with the fish and the loaves of bread.

"Trust is a gift from the heart and camaraderie is the fragile jewel that contains it." Reficul continued, displaying elegance as well as choosing his words artfully yet wisely. "Once it's broken, it can never be forged and neither can it be replaced. And when one loses another's trust, it is as good as gone. Never to come back knocking, never to be seen again… Crumbling into diminutive shards to drift away like dust in the wind…"

The psychic could not help but marvel at the man's choice of words.

There was a certain magnificence and grandeur about him, despite how cocky he was. A man chocked full of contradictions, to say the least. Most people wouldn't ever admit to being an asshole, save for Urameshi. However, unlike the ex-detective, this man was just…different… One thing's for sure, Ref was obviously a romantic at heart, while Urameshi owned not a romantic bone in his body. Actually, Kazuma had the funny feeling that if the two were ever to meet, they would ultimately clash against each other and no doubt bang heads. Urameshi is a immature brat by nature, while Ref seemed to be the type that would not put up with anyone's shit…period.

Prince Narakumaru has two sides to his character. If not caught in a raging battle, displaying as much violence and vulgarity as he does lunacy…or the fact that he can become so adamantine, not to mention his dark and morbid personality… But still, that was just one side of him.

On average, he is very laid back, cynical, clever, and often grimly yet lackadaisical, all to the consternation of those who happen to put up with him. Oh, and don't forget that he's madder than a Hatter, derailed, moonstruck, or just plain crazy. That and his frightening temper when something causes it to flare, although hand in hand his insanity and anger work together. Not to mention the fact that he does not any sort of obey rules that he does not feel he should follow; like smoking in areas where there's a non-smoking sign or loitering where it's prohibited. Oh, but he's all for honor and loyalty, you can bet your life on that one.

A certain psychic is in for some real surprises. He'll eventually discover that he feels as though he's somewhat dating a morbidly dark and insane yet male version of his sister, though provided with the obvious differences in their characteristics; like, say for instance, the demon god being more dominating and protective. Okay, they only share a few personality traits when comparing the two of them with each other. Still, he has this sense of calmness or nonchalance, that if a bomb went off it right behind him he would not even blink, just look bored or unimpressed if not affecting him at all. It brings us back to what they say about one ending up someone who has similarities with a family member. And she was the one who raised him the most and it is she who Ref is mostly like.

When it came to handling situations, either dire or everyday circumstances… The dark god's philosophy seems to be more based on the ancient samurai ideals of immediacy, such as considering oneself as dead and the idea of death being an awakening from a dream, which are both elements of bushidō illustrated in the Hagakure.

The Prince of Hell was not an evil being, despite what everyone tends to believe due to the numerous stories that portray him to be a vile villain, though he can prove to be stern, cruel, and unpitying when it comes to matters concerning his job. In fact, he plays his role well to guarantee a relative balance, to keep evil spirits separated from those who are good. After all, all souls have to go somewhere, especially those who are wicked. Nevertheless, the other deities, demons, and mortals both loathe and fear him. Most demons, who possessed enough sense, were terrified of him the most; in no hurry to meet him in hell, because there they would not receive any mercy or special treatment different from humans, doomed suffer for all of eternity. There are nine circles of Hell, each with a different punishment.

Providentially, his Dark Palace stands a considerably good distance away from the pits of endless torture. However, the REAL River of Sticks flows right past it, though it's not made out of river water but tears and broken dreams. The river you see in Spirit World leads directly to it, actually.

The spirit of his neglectful mother, The Goddess of Death, controls the nefarious realm known as Limbo; i.e. the very same place Young Toguro had chosen as his final destination. The selfish Yakumo was the god of The Underworld, though a more suitable name for his territory should be called Purgatory; a.k.a. where certain souls go to repent until they are eventually permitted to be reincarnated. It used to exist, but Spirit World had long sense banished both the god and his kingdom for threatening to take over… And we all know what happened to him in the end.

Eventually, he'll have to return to his home, but when that time comes he won't be going alone. He'll make sure of it. Besides, it would be nice to have a life partner to better rule over the place. It can get pretty hectic at times, what with his minions sometimes making errors. Some of those hellions can be quite the pathetic little worms, groveling at his feet every time they somehow manage to do something wrong. Most are imps, though the demons that do serve him come in all varieties in shapes, colors, and species; whom have either been created or born there, for leaving hell is just a way of asking for punishment since their Prince wont tolerate it. And be sure to know that all of them do, in fact, have horns; whether being some having too many to several just having one.

"Loyalty should never be squandered or taken lightly." Ref said as he pulled out a perfecto and placed it between his lips, to which then he unexplainably lit it; as though by magic. He continued talking, even while puffing that thing. "It is dishonorable and such a waste on the other person's time. How can one replace the years that have gone asunder? How can one make up for another's pain, particularly when they are the one who have caused the scars? Scars never go away, though through time they may fade. Nothing can change the past, only the future. It's all or nothing, never in between."

He took in a drag, then nestled it between his middle and index fingers, coolly blowing out the smoke between puckered lips.

"Damn, he's hot, even while he's smoking…" The psychic thought as he observed. "Especially while he's smoking. Even the smoke is alluring. What in the hell? …He seems quite the charmer." He further noted, trying to chase away the fantasies from his mind. He was not willing to go there, that is going back to that castle in the sky. "I bet he's has lots of people who faun over him."

"They never deserved your friendship and their do they deserve you." The Prince stated emphatically, bringing Kazuma the rest of the way back to the world of reality. "You give away so much… Selling yourself to anyone who is willing to buy. And for what price?" The god grunted disparagingly as he furrowed his eyebrows. He then reached over and cupped the other man's face by the chin with his free hand, once more using that firm grip yet gentle touch. "You just hand it all for free. You shouldn't sell yourself so short. You're worth more than you can possibly ever imagine."

Kazuma blushed when hearing that, figuratively caught with his pants down, and blinking back at him and rendered speechless. Awestricken would be the better term.

"You can't fathom your worth…" The Dark Prince declared, pausing for a moment as he took another puff of his cigar, swigging the smoke down into his lungs before turning his head to the side to release it. "How important you really are."

Ref put out his cigar and then moved in, leaning closer to remove what little space was in between the two of them. The clairvoyant's heart began to pound mercilessly, the tempo was similar to jungle drums, and his aura was now a bright pink, popping off little sparkles from only god knows where.

"Trust me…" Reficul continued, articulating in a whisper, all the while nuzzling the nape of his affection's neck. "I guarantee that I will never fail your expectations. Though I am a man of imperfection and I am beyond one's comprehension, but never consider that I would bring you harm." He sighed against him, his moist hot breath intentionally caressing against pale skin. "I would do anything for you. Don't let my darkness frighten you."

Kazuma became anxious, his eyes the size of saucers. He wondered what tall, dark and handsome was implying here. He was not insinuating what he think he was, was he? If so, the fiery haired psychic was not sure if he was ready. Yes, it was something he wanted, but…

There was that word again, "but", which usually included an explanation that justified his reasons over these sort of circumstances.

Sensing his fear and discomfort, The Dark Prince calmly pulled away. He became angry with himself, though he was not about to show that he was, not wanting to project the wrong signals. He watched the other man exhale, ailed by a concoction of both relief and confusion. The dark god knew then that he would most certainly have to go at a smooth and steady pace when obtaining the man's fragile heart, which needed inconceivable amounts of love and care.

But how long was that going to last?

"I know how it feels…" Ref delicately disclosed, desiring the walls constructed between them to be torn down. "To not be loved, to be under-appreciated. As a child I was quite impudent, though it was all due to having been spurned by my very own father." He wanted to be as transparent as possible, revealing his true emotions and intentions through his expressions, demonstrating that he meant him no harm. "And I know how pain feels, to have everything stripped away, including my honor and my pride…" Gradually his tone became grievous, though like wafts carrying a gentle cry in the night. "I've once lost everything I held dear to me. My heart still aches even to this day, morning over my tragedy."

The psychic stared, he did not need his powers to know that the other man was telling the truth. He could plainly see the anguish of his soul, that the man was definitely hurting. He had conceived the wrong conjectures prior to now, once believing that the man held some popularity. Over brimming with compassion, he pushed aside his fears and embraced the taller man. He possessed the impression that something was knocking, standing at the doorsteps of his heart.

Granting a silent gasp of surprise to part from him, the Prince of Hell had not anticipated such a reaction to come from the psychic. For the second time in his life, he did not feel so devoid of a soul. A content smile graced his lips, the first in ages, feeling the once departed happiness at last return to him. He wrapped his arms around the smaller man, holding him close, more than willing to give everything that was his.

"I understand. I understand." Kazuma said as he rubbed the demon's back, not minding how ridiculously chummy he may seem. He was always the sensitive type anyway. "My life is practically taking me around in circles. One day I'm grown, the next day I'm back to feeling like a hapless child, wanting to hide my face and drown in my sorrows. I'm reliving my past, only backwards. Everything's upside-down. All around me are familiar faces, everything's worn out… Controversial to my hopes, I'm going nowhere. Perpetually stuck in this carnival of souls, the people with no expressions. And they all look right through me. I'm beginning to believe that there's nothing special about me…"

"Don't say that." The Prince murmured in his ear. "Never say that, Nemo."

"No one's ever told me that they loved me," Kazuma went on further. "Which is perhaps why I now have so many issues. I mean, all people have ever done is add to my depression and disgust." He repositioned himself to gain eye contact. "I'm sorry you had to endure that. Though, I can't help but be surprised that you would trust me enough to confide in me. Me, of all people." He let out a sigh. "After all, I'm not on the top of everyone's list of choosing who to lean on."

"Well, I intend to change that." Reficul proposed with conviction. "For now on, we'll be inseparable."

"I see…" Kazuma replied, pulling away. "That is if you don't mind being seen with one of the most hideous of people…" He wanted it to seem as though he was joking, but truthfully it was his insecurities speaking again.

The god's brow knit as he narrowed his eyes, peering into the depths of the other man's soul. He could see right through him and became rather chafed at hearing something so preposterous. "You're beautiful." He countered, crooning his words complimentarily.

Kazuma became immediately taut. "What?" He yelled, charmed yet unconvinced by the demon's words. "You've got to be joking me." Looking away, he bashfully scooted a good foot or so away from him. "Don't do that, man."

Ref watched as the psychic then cursed under his breath, believing that he may now have splinters in his rear. Of course, he did not, but it was certainly something Kazuma could use to distract himself with.

The Prince of Hell was a stubborn man. "You are riveting, Nemo."

Kazuma bit his bottom lip, exposing his fangs as he gave the EVIL eye, the top half of his face concealed in shadow. His canine teeth were much larger than Yoko's and Yusuke's, the same went for the rest of his teeth being sharper, making him seem more monster than demon. This was a sign of frustration, and if that was not clear enough for you, perhaps his growl would set you straight. He sounded like a big cat, mostly a big angry king of the jungle.

Alarming, yes, but The Prince of Hell could beat him well at that game. He has no contestants when it comes to frightening people. Fortunately for Kuwabara, though, Ref was on his side.

A devious grin formed upon Ref's countenance. Oh, dear.

"I'd most certainly fuck you." He said in a lecherous tone.

He was purposely switching from being a proper and more sophisticated chap to a vulgar sleaze in a split of a second. How expectant of him, not really. The psychic, on the other hand, had not anticipated this sort of forward raunchiness from his friend; the Prince had suddenly dropped the bombshell so to speak and had deliberately turned the tables around when it came to his prior decision to play low key in regards to his advancements. And nor did he foresee the demon's next move, the dark god grabbing him by the shoulders at lightning speed.

Kazuma freaked, taken back by surprise. He wondered what the hell just happened here?

Nevertheless, The Dark Prince continued in his explicit cajolery, gently tracing his thumb against the other's bottom lip. "Surge in and out, caught in the heats of passion, our bodies tangled together with nothing but sweat to clothe us."

Kazuma sputtered, becoming as red as a cherry. Whatever happened to whispering sweet nothings into another's ear? "WHAT?" He yelled, trying to pull away. Hell, whatever happened to the amiable man that once sat beside him?

Reficul purposely pulled him closer, pressing the orange haired psychic to his chest. He then swiftly repositioned the man, setting him sideways upon his lap. He wrapped his left arm around him to hold him firmly in place; his limbs were long, one arm could easily encompass the psychic's body. Next, he took his other free hand to gently tilt the man's head upward in order for their eyes to meet, though his actions this time were not nearly as forceful and neither did he have to be since the psychic obeyed this time around.

In truth, Kazuma did not know what to make of it… Only that his body was palpably defying his brain's direct orders to resist the larger man, in fact, it responded quite the opposite. Then again, he was being held captive and restrained from going anywhere, so hypothetically resistance was futile.

"Oh, such a pity. Did I stutter, Nemo?" He lulled seductively, his demeanor was rather placid but his eyes were sensual. He possessed that erotic come-hither air about him. "I'll light your fire as I demon speed. I'm fast, rough, and hard. And I'm always ready and built like a steed." He grinned, showing off his sharp teeth. They were as terrifying as a shark's when the fish is about to sink into it's prey.

The psychic became tense, sweating as he inwardly combated for control over his corporeal functions. Not really meaning to, he let out a loud squeamish mewl, though at the same time he held up his hands over his face in defense.

The dark god chuckled, sounding absolutely diabolical much to the detective's displeasure. "How adorable." He remarked, intending for the comment to fluster the lad; which it did. To him, anger was far much better than any form of misery or self-pity. "You should take a good look at yourself."

And with having said that, he pulled out a mirror. Though shaped like an oval, the width was thirteen inches and the height was two feet, the shaft and the base around the looking glass was elegantly crafted out of gold and appeared to be antique in design; making it not your average hand mirror.

Kazuma gawked at it's non-simplicity, questioning whether or not people construct mirrors like that anymore. The engravings and intricate designs were incredible, not to mention that the vanity glass appeared to belong to someone of royalty yet also an undertaker.

The psychic turned to him, wearing a bewildered look.

"Wait. Where did you get that from just now?" He prodded, narrowing his eyes in suspicion as he poked the man repetitively on the chest. He was insistent upon receiving some answers here. "And how? And where exactly was it? Do you always carry a mirror?"

Reficul grinned puckishly. "I pulled it out of my ass."

The psychic reeled back, all the while guarding himself with his left arm in a fashion similar to when classic Dracula defends himself with his cape. He let out a suppressed screech, sounding awfully panicky yet whiny as well.

Ref guffawed for a moment before grinning most fiendishly. "It did not come from there, I assure you."

After hearing that, Kazuma became pretty cross with him.

"I conjured it up." The god informed. He, in contrast, was being one cocky son-of-a-bitch about his ingenuity and thus was not phased by upon receiving dirty looks.

With a growl, the curly redhead took it upon himself to bring the mirror towards him, his hands clasped around the other man's metacarpus and phalanges.

Ref craned his neck downward and affectionately nuzzled the man's cheek. The loving gesture made the psychic flinch, feeling awkward as he grunted in response. This demon was going to keep him on his toes, he could see it already. Speaking of which, that said demon started to nibble upon his neck.

Kazuma spazzed. "AAH! Bastard, STOP THAT! Don't touch me!" He yelled, threatening to take the mirror and hit the perverted demon with it. The mirror barely wobbled from side to side, though only because the psychic was trying to manipulate the thing. However, the demon had a firm grip and his arm was very sturdy. "Can't you see that I'm TRYING to look at myself here!"

"Oooh. You are as fussy as a woman." Ref crooned, teasing.

Immediately becoming piqued, Kazuma screeched; "WHAT DID YOU SAY?" The whites in his eyes dulled, appearing dusky and not quite engulfed in a creepy hallow-like obscurity. As quick as the change, his eyes faded back to appearing normal just the same.

"Feisty, too." Ref pointed out, snarling wittily. He obviously could not help himself. "You ask too many questions."

The psychic gave him a petulant look, then turned back to the matter at hand: His appearance.

He looked into the looking glass, gazing long and hard at his reflection. At first, he could not believe in what he was seeing. He narrowed his eyes and raked his teeth against his bottom lip, watching the person in the mirror do precisely the same thing and at the exact same time.

"See? You're lovely." Ref affirmed in his ear, believing his words to be at last justified.

Kazuma inspected further, touching his face and feeling how the shape of it had altered significantly, not to mention how soft and silky smooth his skin had become. It was though he had evolved; like one of those little digital creatures that some people keep as pets. He appeared very young and elfish, less Japanese than before, similar to a strapping Goblin King or that Sephiroth character from that popular video game…only with different hair and that he appeared more...

"I LOOK GIRLY!" He exclaimed all the while pulling on his wild curly hair. "WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO ME?!" He then screamed at the top of his lungs.

The deafening sound broke the average record produced by a male tenor, echoing off the trees and disturbing the forest all around them.

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

Meanwhile, back at the shrine…

"Did you hear that?" Koenma asked, looking around nervously.

"Yes," Kurama affirmed, furrowing his brow in apprehension. "It sounded like a shriek of absolute terror."

The two looked at each other and then at the girls, quietly noting that it had not came from one of them. The ladies looked as startled as they did. Keiko was easily the most uneasy of the four, while Shizuru appeared to be the one who is the least phased.

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

The fiery haired psychic had became upset. So much, in fact, he was practically on the verge of weeping.

No wonder why his emotions were all out of whack, he was so effeminate that even his hormones carried more progesterone than testosterone.

"Why so silent, Nemo?" Reficul asked, eying the lad as he played with one of the vibrant orange locks. He loved beau's hair. He had put away the mirror a few moments ago, knowing how upset the other man was to even see it.

However, he received no reply, not one utterance, only that the detective physical responded by slouching forward.

The Dark Prince frowned. "It's not all that bad."

"Says you." Came a featherlike reply. The psychic lowered his head further. "I don't even look like Kazuma Kuwabara. Hell, I don't even look like a Kuwabara. Nor do I even sound like him." He let out a sigh of despair. "I don't know who I am anymore."

Kazuma was like a wilted flower, so fragile that he was but a breath away from loosing his petals.

This moment reminded the dark god of the lad's holier-than-thou relatives, especially one in particular. His uncle. The man who helped convert that abusive bigot to Christianity, hoping that it would save his infernal soul from damnation. In truth, it had merely been a crutch, a selfish way to excuse everything that he had done, let alone pardon his compulsions instead of improving himself. In short, it was a cover up, a mask to hide the true monster within.

But that was merely half of it.

His uncle was the one who had performed a series of excruciating exorcisms in the past on his lover, determined to drive out any wicked "devil", demons, or unclean spirits out of the psychic when he was still just a boy. The rituals had caused Kazuma to scream, writhing in agony as though he was being burned alive. However, tied down and defenseless, all he could do was implore that he would stop. The vile act was a step of precaution, that is before the real hell began. Placing those seals upon him was by far the most painful and torturous experience that his lover had ever endured, so much that he had eventually blacked out.

The Prince of Hell wished he could have stopped what had happened that day, to put an end to their sanctimonious tyranny… But together, his family drew him away and placed a protective barrier upon Kazuma, to ensure that he would stay away for good.

And because of what they had done… The god felt defeated once again. For a time, he had searched the world to find the boy's whereabouts, bout could not find him. That is until Kazuma was well into his teens, but even then he could not touch him. The psychic still could not see him, in spite of this, neither could he hear him.

Of course, the clan of psychics did not get away with it unscathed. Far from it, actually. In fact, they were now cursed to live their lives in misery until the very day of their own demise, and he made sure of that. And with each one who passed away, he would not permit the shinigami from Spirit World to intervene as their souls were dragged down to the pits of hell. He had done the very same thing to the ones who had a hand in Kaguya's murder all those years ago.

Yes, Prince Narakumaru meant serious business when anyone dares to harm the one he loves. To live a life of pure hell, only then to end your journey by going there literally. No faith, religion, or person can save you from him. He was the real Pinhead from Hellraiser. And he was still waiting on that uncle to kick the bucket, though in the meantime the man was living in solitary confinement…at an asylum.

Reficul brushed the hair from Kazuma's face. Who ever said that "bad guys can't love" needs to have a serious reality check.

The psychic snapped his head up and looked right up at the god of demons. "It's my looks, isn't it?" He accused, confronting the guy reprehensively with all the blameworthiness he could manage to muster in his tone. "Dammit, I look homely for most of my life and now that I don't--"

Insulted by his nippy ill-assorted deductions, Reficul sternly cut him off. "Do you honestly think it has to deal with something as ridiculously superficial as that?" He reproach right back at him, appearing absolutely livid. "Do you think that I would be so shallow?"

Kazuma growled as he began to writhe, becoming tetchy with his friend. He was behaving like a Prima Donna.

"You were never homely to begin with." The Dark Prince declared.

"Yes I was!" Kazuma bellowed at him, quickly turning into being quite the tempest. "I was down right ugly looking!" He began to burble, speaking so fast that his words slurred together, all the while throwing a verbal tantrum like a woman who's on the rag. He gave a detailed description about how he used to look like, though none of it was positive. And he even started to pick on his own voice, saying something about how it once sounded crossed between broken glass and nails on a chalk board. …Actually, concerning the latter comparison, his high-pitched scream sounded exactly like that.

Ref heard of self loathing, and he should know since he had been there plenty of times, but this was ridiculous. The man was condemning himself by basing who he was on other people's opinions, opinions which did and should not matter at all. He definitely needed a hobby to help further vent his frustrations, other than fighting since that seemed to be not helping much.

He was not like the Mazoku half-breed who can find relief by engaging in violence, to feel all hunky-dory and satisfied during and after a spar or brawl. No, he was quite the opposite, struggles merely wake up his own hate; odium is a very dangerous tool. There was a lot of hate bottled up inside, hatred which had been collecting since before he has been alive, his soul carrying the hatred from the past into this life. And unlike the Tourin Prince, the psychic did not know when to quit. The words "give up" were not in his vocabulary, he was determined to win or die trying. Thank the universe that the psychic actually had a tender side to keep the rest of himself under control and his anger at bay, if he did not have that…he would perhaps prove to be worse than the fire demon.

Back at the cathedral, his eyes were like that of a dead person's…soulless. And there signifies the danger. The brighter the light, the darker the shadow. The Mazoku and the Fox souls possessed less than the average amount of light, while the fire demon contained very little. The psychic was a stark contrast, being that he now generated enough light to illuminate an entire city. Moreover, he possessed such a big heart, which is that of gold …Though sadly, it was hanging by a weakened thread of wire.

The Psychic had considered more than a few times how isolation would be the best course of action, believing that if he was alone it would lessen the chances of him hating. In the past, love had been the camouflage to conceal all that resembles rage. More over, the lad was bearing another burden, a fear that perhaps he was becoming just like Sensui… Over the two years that have gone by, he's seen a side of mankind that anything but pleasant.

"I never admitted it out loud," Kazuma continued, still very much vehement. "But everyone assured me that I was one of the most repulsive things to look at." He gave a list of names as long as his arm, if not longer. "Who's to say that you did not feel the same?"

Let's recall a certain ex-detective who had once said that Kuwabara was the male version of Keiko, that meant he could often prove to be as bitchy as her. That was no surprise to Ref, however, since Kaguya possessed the same exact temper with the same exact fire burning in her eyes, and boy could she get loud. For a lady, she could prove to be hell on wheels. Oh, well. He endured it then, so he could manage to deal with it now.

As it so happens, the psychic was not actually pissed off… Bitchy, yes, but not to the full of extent of being absolutely furious. When that time comes, you'll know when all you will receive from him is dead silence. When Kuwabara is enraged, he's not the same person. Reficul was the only one out of a handful of people who knew this, which did not include the members of Team Urameshi; all they ever caught were glimpses.

Reficul watched as the man become overly exasperated, then pulled up his legs and smashed his face between the crevice near his knees.

"What am I now?" The psychic mumbled, his tone now low and depressing. "Who am I?"

Kaguya was never this sentimental or this insecure about herself, but then again she never quite had friends like this man did. The very little friends she managed to have were loyal and respectful towards her, especially the bizarre Sun Wukong.

A low murmuring growl churned inside The Dark Prince's chest. "Do you wish for me to rip my heart out and hand it to you as a token of my affections for you? A physical declaration, Nemo?" He inquired, being his morbid self, then placed his hand upon the crown of the detective's head.

Kazuma looked up, he turned his head slowly towards him. "Don't. Do. That." He said, giving him a look of uttermost seriousness.

Reficul snarled as he tussled the other man's hair playfully. "You're so moody, Nemo." He remarked, then pulled him closer and nuzzled his hair. "Breathe deep…" He advised. "And live and let die. Cut it all clean, move on and no longer harp about those fools, especially that one. He's not worth the time nor the angst."

Easier said than done. In truth, the god had no room to talk… Mind you, he was not trying to be a hypocrite by any means, instead he was concerned for mate's well being. As for the people responsible for the lad's inner demons, in due time, he'll see to dealing with the likes of them personally.

Kazuma had glared at him at first for having received such criticism, but that did not last very long. In a matter of seconds, his expression then softened as the anger and pain started to gradually melt away. His cheeks flushed, realizing how warm and fuzzy he was now feeling. Moreover, he felt safe and secure in the larger man's arms, though he was still very nervous; those pesky butterflies were fluttering again. His heart was beating again; resembling a cadence as his mind rhapsodized, switching the record to play another tune.

"Oh, for crying out loud…" Came a voice that was filled with antipathy. "Enough already!"

"Don't mind him." Chimed another. "His opinion matters not."

Kazuma blinked for a moment, then jerked his head away to inspect his surroundings; much to Ref's disappointment.

The psychic came to notice that the foliage in two separate trees were moving quite peculiarly, the leaves shaking mysteriously. Although, he had recognized the two voices, figuring out quickly who were the precise owners.

"Hiei? Master Gong?" He waited for an answer, but he received none. "You know, guys… I can sense your presence. I know that you're there."

Ref snorted. "Come out or I'll shove my foot in your balls."

The unexpected threat caused psychic's eyes bulged in their sockets.

Three seconds later, two figures leapt down from within the loft umbrages; from out of the darkness and into the light.

Kazuma tapped his chin, eyeing the two carefully. "I can guess as to why you're here, Master…" He spoke, assuming that the old man was merely here to check up on him, and he was correct in believing so. "But as for you, shorty…I draw a blank--"

"I'll have you know that I was following him." Hiei interjected as he crossed his arms. He was as ornery and standoffish as ever. "I'm not here to witness the two of you necking. And I'll have you know that I was not checking up on you in any way. I would do none of the sort."

Master Gong eyed him skeptically. "Mhmmm. Right." He drawled. "You speak only half truth."

The longer haired swordsman now fixated his eyes upon the other, more or less surprised. This was the guy who would often claim to despise him. Although their friendship in the past had always been a love-hate type of relationship. They did always manage to assist each other in dire scenarios, and the fire demon did play no part in excluding him from the group merely because he was not wanted, but rather because the psychic was the weakest fighter in the group at the time. If he could remember correctly, it was he who had gotten onto the ex-detective for not telling the psychic about Genkai's demise during The Dark Tournament. Still, they were always on each other's cases, though most of it was usually about the demon's twin sister.

Again, it raised the question as to why the antisocialist was here. It seemed rather out of character for a guy like him. He was shifty by nature, especially when it came to his motives.

"Don't lug me in with you. At least I am not absurd as you…!" The fire demon spat. "Singing that wretched, idiotic song…about the sounds of pathetic creatures. Do you know how insufferable you are?"

The old man scowled, offended by his sheer pomposity.

"Ahh, I see. The animal song." Kazuma informed, for once empathizing with the smaller demon. "He's infamous with that one."

"Aye yah. That song is solid gold." The martial arts master opposed. "She I sing it again, perhaps persistently until you learn to appreciate--"

Kazuma held up his hands and waved them earnestly, signifying his defeat on the topic. "Please, Master. No." He pleaded, folding his hands together as though in prayer.

"Suit yourself." Master Gong replied with a shrug, then pulled out a large flask. And there he goes, drinking more booze. When does this guy's supply ever run dry?

Hiei twitched as he watched him. The old man could perhaps give Chuu a run for his money in alcohol consumption, that or enjoy each other's company and become a couple of real swell pals.

"Oh, by the way…" The martial arts master addressed his pupil while putting away the booze. He then tugged at the ropes tied around his shoulders and pulled off what seemed to be a package that was mounted upon his back. He swayed, his stability a bit on the tipsy side. "I brought you something to cover your hide."

Kazuma removed himself immediately from Reficul's lap and walked over. Once reaching midway, he stopped and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Master."

A brief moment later, Reficul stood up himself.

Upon seeing the dark god now standing, Hiei immediately became tense and swiftly moved in front of him for assessment. Putting up his guard, he placed his hand upon his sword, ready for anything.

The Prince of Hell looked down upon him, his demeanor was daunting yet he wore a stoic visage.

The Dark Prince towered the smaller demon, causing him to feel more diminutive than ever; like standing before a gargantuan dark fortress that was armed simply for the kill. A vein began to pulse above the right temple of his head, the color draining from his complexion as sweat began to form upon his skin.

The two gave each other quite a stare down. Hiei was tiptoeing backwards, while Reficul remained perfectly still and was not phased in the least.

Kazuma and Master Gong had been observing the whole thing, then exchanged glances. The psychic was surprised at having seen Hiei be on the edge like that, while the old man was apparently amused.

"When you advance in your training," Master Gong spoke after successfully handing over the clothes to the curly haired one. "I'll teach you the drunken arts. As a hand-me-down, from master to apprentice."

"…Uhh, that's great?" Came his reply, unsure of what to say. Deep down, Kazuma hoped that he was joking.

But then a wry grin formed upon the old one's face. "But I believe it would do you better to learn more from your friend there." He said, receiving a puzzled look from his student. "However, that does not excuse you from your training with me.

The Dark Prince grinned over at the two, delighted at the Chinese man's suggestion. It was a perfect idea, though for more than one reason. "How gracious of you, Sun Wukong."

The psychic looked back over at him, blinking and wondering what the hell was going on here. The two appeared to be up to something and he wondered if it was anything good.

However, he had missed the moment that Master Gong's eyes had widened when hearing that name.

The fire demon saw it, though, and stared the martial arts teacher as he put the pieces all together.

"Wait." Kazuma spoke up five seconds later, causing the old man to jump. "Ref…" He chided, sending the god a look of warning as he crossed his arms, now pressing the folded clothes against his chest. "His name is Master Gong, you should address him as such. It's rude to disrespect your elders like that."

The old man closed his eyes and chuckled, pressing his fingers against his face as he shook his head.

Taking notice of the man's hilarity caused the psychic to switch his attention right back to him.

"You know I'm a crafty individual," He spoke wistfully, no longer sounding dry and thinned out by age. "Even after all these years… Tongue-in-cheek, I'm not known as a Great Sage for nothing, even with my reputation for being an inebriated and wayward nuisance. But you never cease to surprise me."

Kazuma's eyes widened. "Master?"

"Now you've gone revealed my identity." Master Gong continued, but paused as he opened one eye to peek over at the other deity. "I suppose I should drop the charade, yes?" The man began to into hysterics, laughing madly.

His student thought he was tripping, staring in alarm as he beheld how his Master's hoots and chortles became more and more ape-like with each passing second. The old man was literally screeching like a chimpanzee.

"No way… This all has to be a dream…" He murmured to himself, then grinned as though he himself had been stricken by madness. "That's right… I'm still asleep!" The orbs in his eyes rolled to almost the back of his head.

The Chinese deity poked him in the side, no longer in disguise. "HAHA. Silly boy. You're not sleeping." He conveyed, tittering as he wiggled his finger from side to side.

Kazuma screeched as he smacked himself on the cheeks, dropping his clothes onto the ground. "My master's a monkey! He even has a tail! It just keeps getting weirder and weirder!"

Hiei could not agree more, remaining perfectly silent after he had witnessed what had transpired before them.

Sun Wukong sweat dropped at the psychic's melodramatics. "Aye yah… I do not see the issue here. I'm still your teacher!" He pointed out. "It's not like angry ticks just fired out of my nipples."

Reficul appeared beside his freaked out "eventual" lover, grabbing him by the shoulders when he crouched slightly down. "Calm yourself, Nemo." He spoke in left ear, lightly brushing his lips against the helixes.

Kazuma instantly became silent, pursing his own lips as though he had been sucking sour lemons. His face began to heat up.

"Get dressed." The Dark Prince instructed, to which then he leaned down and picked up the package and handed it to him.

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

A good half hour later…

Kazuma had wrapped his lower torso up to chest in up in a support bandage, which had been provided in the package given to him. He also had wrapped his hands; beginning at his knuckles, past his wrists, and finally ended the process once his reached well midway down his arms. Once that was complete, he began to finish dressing himself.

The top was a dressing gown-like garment with long wide sleeves and reached down to below the ankles, also known as kimono. A sash was then wrapped two or three times around his waist and tied up at the front. He also had on a hakama, which were wide, baggy trousers - so wide in fact that they looked like a divided skirt. To keep his feet both warm and comfortable while wearing his wooden sandals, he now wore a pair of divided socks called tabi.

After sliding on his clogs, he turned his attention towards his teacher. The apish deity was now currently sitting on the log, his legs crossed and his hands hidden in his garment's sleeves opposite of each other.

"So.. You're The Monkey King?" He repeated what had been told to him, his gaze so solemn yet also leery. "And you're here to find the perfect student? I don't know, sounds awfully fishy to me."

Reficul stood near the psychic, appearing all dark and foreboding. Hiei, on the other hand, was leaning up against the trunk of the nearest tree, though sitting upon the lowest branch of said tree. Apparently, the only likely reason as to why the fire demon had stayed was because he wanted to hear the story himself. …Not that he would ever admit it.

"Would you quit being so suspicious of everything?" Sun Wukong admonished. "Not everyone is set out to get you."

After noticing that the lad was still incredulous, the master sighed.

"Okie dokie…" He continued, though at first he had been caught off by a hiccup. "If you don't believe that, then perhaps…I don't know…?"

Kazuma frowned at his teacher's recent incompetence.

"Suffice to say… I may know a story…" Sun Wukong said in a mysterious and rather enticing tone.

Kazuma raised a brow at him. "…A story?"

"Yes, though I am hardly in it…" He admitted, nodding as he thought to himself. "It is about how a dragon fell in love with a sky princess, a star." He paused for a moment, thinking over what he just said. "...Or was it a bird?"

"…A what fell in love with a what now?" Kazuma spluttered out as he almost lost his footing.

The Dark Prince jerked his head slightly. He displayed the faintest hint of change in expression, but it had quickly went away as it had came.

The martial arts master then speedily added; "But you may not want to hear it! So, sorry! No can do!" He turned his head away and waved at him, trying to use reverse psychology.

The psychic turned his head to the side, though kept his eyes right on the man. "Hmm.. Maybe you're right." He answered, then tapped his chin while he feinted to put any real cognitive thought in his decision making. "I mean, do I really want to?"

Sun Wukong became spastic as he fell forward off the log.

Kazuma's eyes widened, now worried that his teacher may have been hurt. "Master! Are you alright?"

In response to that question, the monkey god looked up at him and spat; "Aye yah! You were supposed to disagree with what I had just said!" He banged his fists against the earth. "I'll have you know that it is a very beautiful story!"

Hiei rolled his eyes, still up in that tree. "How pathetic."

The psychic sweat dropped, hearing his master continue to carry on, whining like a child who had not gotten his or her own way. But then suddenly something caught his ear, to which then he looked towards the direction it had came from.

_"What was that?"_ He thought, then narrowed his eyes as he used his powers to sense what it could have been. _"Sounded like a cry for help…"_ When realizing that it had been, indeed, a desperate plea for help, he became overwrought.

"Sorry, Master! But I have to go!" He quickly excused himself, running off to assist the needy like the noble man that he was.

Sun Wukong immediately ceased in his squabbling, looking up only to realize that his student had ran away…with The Prince of Hell following close behind as a large and incredibly creepy black orb.

"Wait!" He shouted, then scurried up off the ground.

**#4#5#6**

_"Where are the heroes  
In my time of need  
Is my cry not loud enough  
Or have they gone all numb_

_They just stand and stare  
Out of the rain  
Thinking but not acting  
That they're not to blame_

_Falling and crawling  
A fight to stand up  
Memory still haunts me  
In the dead of night_

_Over and over  
I felt so small  
But one day I'll be stronger  
And you better watch out_

_I will overcome  
Your violence their silence  
Although,  
It can't be undone  
I will overcome  
Knowing that I'm not the only one  
I will overcome  
It's the only way to carry on_

_Where are the saviors  
Afraid of the toll  
Sorry do my nine inch nails  
Slash your soul_

_Such heroes  
Throwing stones  
Straight at the one  
Who is standing alone_

_Twisting and turning  
It's always the same  
Truth is never honest  
When you're to blame_

_Pushing and pulling  
Never give in  
One day I wish  
You'll see you're not so beautiful within_

_I will overcome  
Your violence your silence  
Although,  
It can't be undone  
I will overcome  
Knowing that I'm not the only one  
I will overcome  
It's the only way to carry on_

_Run and run  
Run and run_

_I will overcome  
Their violence your silence  
Although,  
It can't be undone  
I will overcome  
Knowing that I'm not the only one  
I will overcome  
It's the only way to carry on_

_I will overcome"_

_--Within Temptation; "Overcome"  
_

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

Sorry it took FOREVER to get this chapter done… And I am sorry for all the crap in the beginning. I wanted to finish it off… You know, right where we had left off with Ref and Kuwabara. I did not want to skip a week or two out of laziness.

And finally, some action is about to happen! Too bad we all have to wait until the next chapter.

I hope Hiei is not out of character…

I don't think the demon despises Kuwabara as much as some fans claim he does. In the manga, he's actually not as cruel to him. In fact, like I wrote in this chapter, it had been Hiei who got onto Yusuke about not telling Kuwabara about the time when Genkai had died the first time… Instead of just letting Kuwabara find out for himself. Also, Kuwabara and Hiei have helped each other out several times… Hiei had helped Kuwabara trained once, while Kuwabara always ends up carrying the small demon around…either upon his shoulder or his back. Yes, they hate each other, but…they also care about each other. I love their love/hate relationship.

Sorry if this may seem like a "bashing" fic. It's not, though. I have nothing against any of the characters in YYH, not even the villains.

oOoOo

The song at the end, I believe, would be the theme song for the story. That or it could be a good ending theme.

Sorry if it seems like so many songs are being used. I am trying not to do that.


	16. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

Also, the angels in this story here are a different and separate race of their own, they are unlike the ones you read about in most religions. They are more dangerous than demons, yet usually come off as being harmless. They are friendly enemies, which is the worst kind.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Warning:** Homosexuality, graphic violence, dark content, blood, vulgar language, and weirdness that will ensue.

**Rating:** …Mature content. Not really for anyone under the age of 18, but if you are mentally mature enough, go ahead and read.

* * *

**A WAR WITHIN A WAR**

_In Makai, there is a law that forbids demons having any associations with Angels, whether or not an individual is a half-breed, a quarter-percent, or less. If one is found to have angelic blood coursing through their veins, the sentence is death. As for the mothers who spawn these atrocities, their punishment is to be banished from the rest of all demon society and to live perpetually in both isolation and persecution. If a mother defends her child, she, too, will suffer the same fate. And if you associate with an angel, then you as well will be put to death._

_Angels or Devils are both feared and loathed by youkai all around. This significant amount of prejudice can be dated far back, even way before the time records were eventually written._

_Here are the reasons why angels cannot be trusted:_

_1) Angels or Devils are what humans call "sky spirits". They are beings of The Universe and control the fate of all mortals and immortals. They are "the fates", so to speak. Most hide in the cosmos, if not apprehended and dealt away with. The very stars in the sky are they, forever trapped in suspended animation less they awakened. And the black holes are their prisons.__ Some even dwell in The Thirteenth Dimension; aka "The World Without Logos", which belongs solely to them. No one can freely go there but them, though sometimes gods and goddesses are permitted to pass. And many are hidden in the elements of Human World... Controlling the fates of mankind, whether for better or worse; some literally take it too far by controlling humans and demons like puppets on strings.  
_

_The Bottom Line: They do not belong in demon world, ...or anywhere else for that matter._

_2) They can be manipulative creatures who use their victims and then destroy them, that is when they no longer find use or worth left in them. They use people, especially demons, for their own personal gain... _

_3) And their personal gain is to destroy. To kill. To bring their own form of justice or death. Whether it is punishing for Anger, Lust, Greed, Slothfulness, Envy, Gluttony, Pride, or any other sinful act. They are killing machines. If a demon or a human has committed way too many sins, he will be found and then destroyed. They live to punish the wicked, once to keep a balance...now to create a perfect world.  
_

_4) They drink the blood of the living and either eat or burn away the souls of sinners. In other words: They can also eat demons as they do humans, and if not devour, then they will simply kill each and every one they see in an act of genocide. You better pray that you are eliminated completely. The worst fate of all is to become part of these monsters, to be forever one with the rest of their familiars.  
_

_Simply put: They are "mass murderers"._

_And one is destined to be "The Destroyer of Worlds", though ironically is called "The Chosen One" or "The God of The Worlds". However, the names used the most are "The Devil" and "The Beast". In English, the person bears the same name as his or her father, and that name is "Sam": which means "The blind god"; The TRUE Prince of Darkness and The Poison of God... _

_"Samael" _

_He or she must be destroyed at all cost.  
_

_The method of destroying an angel is simple: Kill the little monster before it grows up, because once the child is grown… It becomes a formidable force of destruction that which cannot be stopped._

_Nevertheless, even though these laws are strictly enforced... There will always be that few who are more than willing to betray their own kind.  
_

**oOo**

_**[Four Days ago from now…]**_

_"Please! I need to see the King of Tourin!" A demoness had cried, running up to one of the demon monks. A baby demon was in her arms, all wrapped and tucked inside binding cloths in order to keep the newborn safe and warm._

_She had caught word through the grapevine that one of the new kings was not originally from their world, and that he was a different sort of a man who possessed new ideas and a fresh way of thinking. Gathered by her own understanding that had been generated by the popular rumors of him being a good person, she believed that he was the one to turn to… So, she had ventured off to the Tourin Kingdom in hopes of receiving protection for both her child and her. He was their last hope._

_She was a Hone-onna, or a skeleton demon. They are called as such because of having particular parts of their bodies --like their face, arms, hands, back, feet, and legs-- covered in a white outer shell made out of the very same substance as bone yet more durable. Each Hone-onna is different in appearance with different characteristics in the design of these bones; there is not one who the same in appearance. Male Hone are rare, but they do exist, though they are detached from other youkai._

_The Hone are a race of demon that had evolved from once eating other demons, devouring their souls to satisfy their own ravenous appetites for both nourishment and power, and becoming one with their own prey. And furthermore, they are masters of concealing their death-like appearance._

_These demons are instinctively cannibalistic do to their ancestors once residing in the most renowned forest in Makai, Shiboo Fusei; i.e. "Evil Death", though some prefer to call it "The Forest of Nightmares". It's the place where an average demon goes to die when he or she believes there's no longer a reason to live for, in other words: A place of suicide. It is also the place where the exiled are sent to survive for the rest of their existence._

_Not much is known about the demons who live in such a dreary place as Shiboo Fusei, only that the most vile and loathsome of creatures inhabit there. And though these formidable demons are strictly forbidden to leave Demon World, they sometimes manage to enter into Human World._

_"I'm sorry, Miss." Was the answer she had received from one of the King's loyal monks. "But the King won't be seeing anyone today." He turned around and started to head back to the distastefully designed light-grey fortress. The structure was blasé, possessed absolutely no windows, and appeared boring if not weird._

_She quickly latched her hand onto his arm, stopping him in his tracks. "Please, I must see him! It's urgent!"_

_"I'm sorry, miss… But I've already told you that he won't be seeing anyone. He's very busy right now. Perhaps some other time." He tried to turn himself loose._

_"Please, please listen!" She pleaded, refusing once more to be shunned away. "I need to see him immediately! It's urgent! Both my child and I are in grave danger!"_

_The monk studied her from head to toed, then looked down upon the bundle that she held against the left side of her bosom. He scowled as he narrowed his eyes at her, then swiftly ripped his arm away from her, the force causing her to stumble back and almost drop the child. The woman stared at him, appalled by his way of rejection._

_"…You must better leave now, wretched woman." He warned, disgust in his voice. "Be gone away from here immediately! Or else you and your wretched spawn will both be punished here on the spot for your insolence! How dare you show your face here!"_

_Knowing now that she was not welcomed there, the woman turned away and hastily ran off. As she made her way off, she overheard the monks speaking to one another about how wretched they were and how people like her are one of the major causes for the upcoming war in Demon World. They also had mentioned something about how all miscreants and their miscreations should all be exterminated._

_Several flashes of lightning crashed in the everlastingly stormy skies above. It never rains in Makai, however, instead the cause for why it appeared so ominous was because of the negative energy and tainted air swimming together to form this nightmarish concoction._

_"Mommy… I'm scared."_

_"Don't worry. I'll get us to safety, even if it means us leaving Makai entirely!"_

**oOoOoOoOo**

"Help me!"

Echoed a terrified plea of a child.

A pale blur mixed with a smudge of color whooshed through the undergrowth.

It was a infant Hone-onna, but like all demons that are born, she could manage to move and run better than a little three year old human child. …Even with her short, chubby legs.

Her skin is a pallid ash grey, while her short and shaggy hair is a murky cobalt green and her irises a viridian hue. Down her face is a long and ghastly scar, starting from the top of her forehead, running down across the bridge of her nose and ending between her right cheek and sniffer. Also, upon the temples of her head, sprigs of bone protruded through her skin, a sure sign that her body had initiated the three year process of developing her Hone mask. And as for clothes, she merely had on an oversized yet tattered and torn grey long-sleeved slip that stopped just above her ankles.

She panted, still having not grown accustom to moving freely all on her own.

Behind her was a pack of monstrous demons chasing after her.

Crimson tears flowed freely ran down her cheeks. Her mother was dead now because of them, having sacrificed her own life for the sake of protecting her.

Why they were still after her was obvious:

One, she was now easy pickings, a tender morsel to devour. Most carnivorous demons find children to not only be the simplest of preys, but also the tastiest. It's like eating the best grade A meat on the market.

However, the main reason why they had been interested in her from the start was because of the mixed blood flowing through her veins… Her mother had fallen in love with a forbidden race, her being the very product of her parents' love for one another.

Angels cry tears of blood.

Sweet short and simple: Her father had been a devil. Sadly, she did not know her father or who he was. He had left her pregnant mother in hopes of keeping from being accused for committing the act of treachery.

The poor child could not remove the images from her mind, having watched her own mother being torn and ripped apart by their own hands.

She made a mistake by looking back to see how far they were behind her . By taking her eyes off what dangers that may lie ahead, she did not foresee the knotted and twisted roots of a mulberry tree and thus managed to trip over one. A current of newfound pain shot up from her toes, feet, and ankles, and then upon the rest of her body as she rolled across the detrimental earth.

She cried out, both now hurt and afraid… Very much afraid.

She was screaming, beating her voice in her doom.

Her body eventually ceased in tumbling on the ground, now scratched from head to toe, and her head hummed from dizziness.

The demons were advancing and fast.

"There she is!" Exclaimed one demon, pointing towards her exact location. "Get her! And do share or else!"

"Yesss." Hissed another in agreement.

"Come'ere lil' girl!" Shouted the third and closest demon, preparing his claws to penetrate through her flesh. "Come to papa!" He left into the air, just so he could crashed down and break her little body.

**…TBC…**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Comments:**

Well, this does not look good. Nope, not at all.

And more is to come in the next chapter.

…And it's about to rain here.. And I am sick.. Ugh.

Please review and comment! Love you all!

**Answer to Reviews:**

Saya: Yeah. Weird things tend to happen. As I warn, this story is going to get stranger and stranger. And yes, it's nice to have someone to finally talk to. Seriously... The poor boy. None of the others would ever listen to anything he would have to say. There's proof in the series and in the manga. A lot of the characters would overlook everything he would say... Either it goes in one ear and out the other or they say something really smart to him; for example, Yusuke telling him that he was not going to listen to his important dream he had during the Dark Tournament.

Zu: Thank you very much! Oh, and don't worry. At least you said something. I tell you.. I've seen people copy my work or ideas in some way and… It's just awful. It's like me when I humanized Puu once. After I did, everyone started doing it. And then after I started to make characters who are not demons but other beings, people started doing it as well.. I've had this story plot, line, characters, etc, for over a year… Planning it and whatnot. But yeah. I am glad you said something. But because of that, I wouldn't mind if it did sounded familiar. At least I know. And thank you very much for the review… I also can't wait to read more of your work, too.

Dark: Yeah, you is right. He has always been like that. Thanks for the review!


	17. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature...for obvious reasons.

* * *

**SOMETHING UGLY**

_"Come'ere lil' girl!" Shouted the third and closest demon, preparing his claws to penetrate through her flesh. "Come to papa!" He left into the air, just so he could crashed down and break her little body._

Just as he came down, however, something ripped through the demon at a veracious speed. Blood gushed everywhere as his body divided, falling apart on the ground on opposite sides. The demon had not know what hit him before it was too late.

The other two demons gasped, now perfectly distraught.

"You have some nerve picking on those weaker than you, especially a child. How disgusting."

As the blood cleared and the remains of their fallen comrade finally hit the ground, they beheld a vibrant fiery haired man stand before them.

His eyes glowed like firestorms, his face as dark as the night, and around him was a halo of swarming energy; he blazed like the sun.

Stemming from his back is where the energy was most intense, currents looped and rolled, bearing characteristics that are similar to the plasma of stars. It was this energy that had formed into larger bands, both solid and lethal, thrashing through the air and resembling whips of fire. The sheer magnitude of this light gradually died down eight-four percent, and yet, he appeared all the more ominous.

He was holding their prey, the little half-breed, who lied in his left arm.

The demons growled at him, their faces contorted by rage and consternation.

He narrowed eyes, now appearing severe, cold and callous.

**oOoOoOoOo**

"What was that?!" Koenma exclaimed, sensing an anomalous power that was over half a mile away from their exact location. They were all enjoying a nice luncheon when this hade suddenly sprung up, right out of the blue.

"I don't know." Kurama said, trying to make out precisely what it was. "But it doesn't feel good. …In fact, it doesn't feel right… Not right at all." His eyes became larger in size, now on pins and needles.

To say the least, the level of strength had sent them both on the edge, let alone been unexpected. Hard pangs hit the pits of their stomachs, causing them to suddenly lurch. In fact, everyone at the shrine felt quite fraught, as well as being overwhelmed by an epidemic case of extreme nausea.

"I think Kuwabara may be in danger." Kurama added moments later. "And whatever he's up against isn't a demon, though I do sense other life forms present there amongst him." He immediately got up and opened a window, then sniffed the outside air. "…In fact, I smell demons."

Koenma looked his way. "Is it Sensei?"

After a brief pause of silence, the fox answered; "No."

Botan's face fell, despite the news. And the fox and the Reikai Prince, nevertheless, were tense.

The reaper, the koorime, and the human females watched as the men folk left the place in uttermost haste.

Seconds later, they heard the sound of glass shattering on the floor. The sound caused them to almost jump right out of their skins. They turned to the noise, to see what had just happened.

Shizuru's eyes were ample in size, distant and hazy. She had exited the kitchen a few moments ago, having gone in there to whip them all up some refreshments to help wash down the meal.

"Kazuma…" She muttered below a whisper as she backed up against the wall, never minding the glass and it's spilt contents on the wooden floor.

"Shizuru!" Botan shouted, flabbergasted by the girl's sudden behavior. She and the others were astounded by the girl's recent lack of resolve.

The older sibling did not care, however, that the shards sliced the bottoms of her feet, nor did she care that she was now bleeding. Instead, she slide down against the wall and sat there.

**oOoOoOoOo**

Meanwhile, up in the trees not too far…

A certain fire demon had finally caught up with the hero, though he chose to remain in stealth mode, waiting for the opportunity to step in if needed. But he was not alone as he spectated the scene below, for the Monkey King was doing the same exact thing.

Neither two could not believe how fast the psychic had became since the last time they had seen him try to race against time, though the youkai happened to be more astounded than the foreign god.

The Prince of Hell was standing behind the two demons that Kazuma was now up against. Mister all dark, tall and creepy. He was keeping the demons from going anywhere, ready to assist the psychic in any way.

Hiei could not help but stare at Kazuma. He had changed so much. So much, in fact, it was rather unsettling. One thing's for sure, he did not appear to be the oaf that he once knew.

_"Odd... What is this I'm now sensing from the human?"_ He thought. _"It's like his energy signal has somewhat changed, not only that… But just recently, so has his scent."_

But then his keen receptive ears picked up something, something that had to be the most peculiar of all. In a matter of seconds, the fire demon found himself instinctively covered his ears in hopes to block it out.

The sound emanating from the other swordsman was out of this world. It did not sound like any demon that Hiei had ever heard, or anything else as a matter of fact, like a metallic squawking or screeching sound. It was grating to the ears and quite unbearable. In the midst of that insufferable blaring sound, he heard voices speak, sounding cryptic and downright eerie. But it did not stop there, Hiei could also hear a faint bubbling noise, like boiling water… And it was all coming from the same person!

_"What the hell is this?"_

**#4#5#6**

_What had been said years ago: _

_"That fool. Hasn't he not learned yet that this is a kill or be killed world? …You shouldn't go around saving people, it will cost you you're life." -- Hiei_

_"Yes, even though it is very noble of you… Still, the risks can be life threatening. Be mindful, Kuwabara… Someday, you may very well lose your own life." -- Kurama_

_"Yeah. Well… You know Kuwabara. That idiot always has to go play hero… And like always, the moron stumbles into a damn trap, making HIM the damsel in distress. I swear, I'm sick of saving his ass." -- Yusuke_

_"If chivalry is dead and justice is blind... What does that make me?" -- Kazuma Kuwabara. _

_"A total dumbass!" "A fool." "…Well… Perhaps the better term would be 'unwise'."_

_"I can't win for loosin'."_

_...  
_

_"...These memories... Their opinions... Are all broken glass, mere shards and fragments that cut through me like razors... They are the razors that slit my wrists... And all I can hear is their laughter, laughing as they leave me to die..._

_They know NOTHING about honor."  
_

**…TBC…**

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**Author's Comments:**

Sorry for such a small chapter...

I know Sensui has not popped in yet. *sighs* Apparently people want him to come in right now. ...But I don't want to rush it.. Besides, Sensui wouldn't just appear without a reason.. Not in person. He will eventually, I promise.

I really wanted to show everyone else in this chapter. Kind of. ...I am still debating when to bring Yusuke in, let alone Sensui (he will appear later).

Zu: Thank you so much for your comments! I appreciate it so much. You don't know how much... Then again, you probably do. It feeds the fire to my creativity.

Please review or comment! I really need it, folks! It lets me know that people are still interested.


	18. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**THE CHOKED WHISPER OF EL NIñO**

**[Keep On Sleeping Coughing Soul]**

**oOo**

_"And out of the darkness, the Zombie did call_  
_ True pain and suffering he brought to them all_  
_ Away ran the children to hide in their beds,_  
_ for fear that the devil would chop off their heads"_

--Rob Zombie; "Call of The Zombie"

**oOo  
**

_Why did he get the sudden feeling of falling,_

_Yet not at the pace of when one falls through the air…_

_Though in his mind's eye…_

_Vapors could be seen all around him, like a dense fog…_

_But the sensation was that of thick water, dense as blood…_

_Sinking, drifting down to dark depths of a crimson sea…_

_Saturated…_

_Suffocating, drowning…_

_He could not breathe._

_His body was losing all sensation…_

_He was now numb…_

_Cold, listless…_

_Drowning in a miasma of sorrow…_

_Like a corpse soaked in wintry water…_

_And he caught with his ears the bells tolling in the distance…_

_Though they were very faint._

_The human ghost was crying out, like a hopeless child…_

_But no one could hear him…_

_He had been abandoned beyond the pale..._

_And beyond the yellow brick road,_

_In no man's land…_

_The place where he dreams of fire._

**#1#2#3**

Kazuma stared fiercely at the two monsters, but when he had heard a light murmur, his resolve weakened. He looked down, realizing that the little girl was now coming to. Though, she was still rather comatose from having hit her head from the trip all the way down.

Her name was IREI… Such a bizarre name for a child.

Heck, as creepy as she appeared, she was still too cute for words, especially with her little nose and long pointy ears. The bones above her brow seemed as though a partial visor upon her head. If he had studied his spirits well enough, he knew she was a Hone, a descendant of a race of demons who were once very much dead and not much different from the ghosts that haunted him at night.

These demons were cursed creatures, the fallen race having a hand in their creation. The outward bones on the Hone were the trademark of their creators', who would don the same appearance when summoning most of their inner strength. These special bones were primarily used for the purpose of protection, stronger than any armor forged by human hands. The only difference in design between that of Hone and The Devils are the facts that the Devils' armor appears all the more frightening and that they can summon and put away such defenses away at will with ease; concentration and energy was all it took to form the protective plates. Hone keep their's on, being stuck to bear them without end.

Even with all the power he could sense from her tiny body, she is still very fragile. Not only that, but he could very much feel and visualize the pain that this little one had endured. The method was simple, he possessed the ability to read objects, from ones that are simple as a picture to ones that are complex as a living and breathing organism. And let me tell you, what he saw made him see red and triggered something from within; the beast in the cage was now restless, beating violently against the bars, wanting out.

"You!" The would-be leader of the fiends threatened, pointing one of his meaty sausages for fingers at him. "That child is ours. Hand her over if you know what's good for you."

"No." Kazuma answered solemnly with venom. "And I don't care who or WHAT she is… You'll pay for what you've done."

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" The second demon rowed, rolling with laughter at the interference. "Are we supposed to be threatened by this? You're just a human! Mere fodder to demon like us. In fact, you're just a pesky speck that can be--"

Reficul growled, his power level rising just a hair, though it was enough to cease the demon from continuing on any further. The lesser demon's heart was now palpitating erratically.

The leader decided that it was his turn to speak up; "Nakoru may have been an easy kill," He grinned ever so arrogantly. "But I assure you we won't be the same." It was a snarky remark that was uncalled for.

The other demon chuckled, obviously finding hilarity in what his leader had just said.

That struck a nerve on the psychic, now feeling all the more belligerent with the remaining twosome. He calmly sent them a menacing gaze, the tops of his blazing orbs hooded by his brow.

"You're pissing me off…" The psychic retorted, the fire in his eyes flaring. Their boorish behavior reminding him of someone whom he now reviled. "Talking about one of your own like that, especially now that he's dead. You have no sense of honor or loyalty, in fact, you're just a waste of space."

The two demons growled threateningly at him, but instead of launching an attack, they remained in place, both equally not desiring the same fate as the fallen member that lied before them. They were about to face a dire consequence for their actions, they knew. Glancing behind them, they could not help but feel as though they had been ensnared, now standing in the midst of a deathtrap.

In short, they were so leery that they dared to not make a move. Though who could blame them? They were mere lower B classed demons, while the deceased one happened to once be a class C.

"This one has managed to befriend The Prince of Demons." The second one whispered to the other, his own confidence dwindled away by fear. "What do you suppose we should do?"

The lead demon did not answer him, but instead stared at the human. He appeared to be unnerved, tense, with sweat popping out and rolling down his skin.

"…Master Sun." The psychic spoke out loud, knowing that the strange deity was there.

Sun Wukong immediately jumped down and walked over to him, using utmost cautiousness. The demons could not tell whether the strange man was treading warily because of them or because of something else. Even the monkey was not stupid, sensing that his friend was not exactly the same person as before, as if something or someone else was on the verge of taking the orange haired man over.

"Please take her to safety." The psychic swordsman told him when the deity met him halfway there. His voice sounded gargled and strained, signifying that he was struggling with something internally.

He then concentrated, focusing on the child, holding her out before levitating her little body in the air. With his mind, he carefully moved her towards the martial arts master.

Sun Wukong had successfully retrieved her in no time, plucking her from the air, now holding her in his own arms. He peered over at his student one last time, concern written all over his face, and like magic he quickly disappeared with her.

Kazuma turned his attention back towards the issue at hand.

**/Feel the night time growing nearer **  
**From amidst the darkness **  
**I will start my flight/**

There was this peculiar type of energy pulsing off the human, which proved to be quite deleterious to the surrounding forestry, zapping away all the moisture and burning everything that was green to a crisp. It was grisly, as if he was sucking the life out of all the plants nearest to him. The trees were groaning, becoming grey and colorless. The leaves and the bark off these trees were now disintegrating. And the ground beneath his feet was moving, the dirt, rocks, and leaves rustling around with a nature similar to ghostly hands reaching upward from a hidden portal.

Even after his vehement exorcise, something else was on the verge of cracking under pressure. The deities could sense it, feel it; like violent torrents seeping through the cracks of a stronghold… Something of importance had been critically damaged, and like a large body of water pressing against a dam, the pressure was building up.

The air around him was heating up, though it contrasted significantly with the rest surrounding area, which had dropped down to at least fifteen degrees in temperature. The forest was becoming deadly silent, moreover, still, not even a peep or a chirp could be heard from those of the avian variety…

**/See the stars are shining clearer **  
**Turn around before you're **  
**Blinded by the light/**

All the color was now draining away from the psychic's skin, his complexion as white as porcelain, causing the now blackened whites of his eyes to stand out. And his body was cloaked in a fiery vermilion aura, the tips of the flame-like energy maintained it's original golden hue. In fact, the closer his energy was, the more rich and dark in color it appeared; his body outlined by deathly black and the outer top layer a blood red. In the matter of seconds, the black polluted the rest of his aura, engulfing most of the brighter colors while dimming the rest. This energy was erratic, like the solar flares of the sun.

**/I am made of burning flame **  
**Cast from coldest ice **  
**There is nothing that can stop me/**

"What the hell?" Questioned the lead demon. "Who are you?"

"That is not important…" Came his answered, his voice now sounding eerie, mysteriously reverberating all on it's own.

This sent the others into a high state of alarm, including the others who were supposedly on his side.

"What's this?" Hiei questioned from his position, his eyes the size of the moon.

Reficul studied his mate, he had never seen him or his past love in a state like this before. Mind you, Kaguya could get dangerous, perilous as a tempest of the seas, but this was… "This is new." It was a whole different side, the other side that was much darker and more grave…of the reflecting god.

Conversely, instead of being startled or provoked by fear, the dark god was intrigued. A twisted grin formed upon his countenance, crooked jawed, and his almond shaped eyes hooded in shadow as he watched the one he loved with intense interest. As depraved and sick as it may sound, the dark prince was marveling at these recent turn of events.

The psychic chuckled as he narrowed his eyes, the fires gleaming dangerously as his face contorted, now appearing nefarious and as though someone had knocked a bolt loose in his head. The Prince of Hell may grin like a rabid mongrel, but this man possessed a grin similar to that of a Cheshire Cat.

"When this is over, you'll both be dead."

**/Now I ride above the sky **  
**It cannot hold me back **  
**I dive within the deepest **  
**Darkest space/**

The enemy stepped back as he let out a shrilling yet psychotic laugh.

"What is this human?" The demons chorused, the two looking at each other before glancing upwards towards a tree.

"Human? HA!" Kazuma mocked. "Who are you calling human? Foolish mortals, I am by any means less than a mere human!" He wheezed as he drew out his sword, only then to begin whirling it effortlessly around with his fingers. "You demons are such foolhardy creatures. You truly think you're so superior, but in truth… You're but lowly minnows in the sea of life…about to be devoured by something far much greater."

"How dare you lower us, you wretch!" The leader spat. "Demons are far more superior to humans, especially YOU!"

Ref narrowed his eyes, already making silent plans of eliminating this one.

The psychic let out loud and inhuman snarl, the skin of his jaw eroding away to expose sets of ghastly sharp and jagged teeth, appearing black yet metallic. His mouth was also black, similar to a mamba's, including his long tongue. In fact, the nails upon his fingers and toes had, likewise, became black in color. The only color that remained was from that of his aura, his orbs of fire, and his vibrant orange locks.

"Allow me to cut away your smiles…" He stilled the weapon in his hand, steadying it firmly as he gripped the handle. Immediately, the spirit blade had suddenly undergone a startling transformation, it became black in color, though it burned like hot iron, and much longer in length and more profound in size; the sword was about a foot across in width and around nine feet in length. "For I will remove the hide from your faces!"

**/See I vanish in the light **  
**You cannot find me there **  
**No one can ever catch **  
**The falling star/**

A certain fire demon tried to steady himself upon the branches, almost having fallen off the one he had sat himself upon. As funny as it may sound, for a second there he had been hanging by a limb.

With his Jagan eye, things became much clearer. In fact, he found the answers given to him to be most unsettling. This third eye revealed a disturbing truth about the human whom he had once known. With it, he beheld the symbols, coils of fire desperately trying to bulge from beneath the surface of the man's skin, and red-hot flames that were raging from within, heating up the blood within his veins. What is more, he appeared two-faced, as though the youkai had been stricken with double vision.

The psychic was standing in the midst of an inferno, in fact, he WAS the inferno…the coming firestorm itself. And the blaze itself was howling like a ravenous beast, a sound more terrible than a back draft. It reminded him of his dragon technique, only this human was far from being that of a dragon.

He continued to watch the scene with unyielding eyes as the psychic began to rid one of the demons from this world... He was more than surprised by Kazuma's brutal act of full throttled aggression, literally committing slaughter.

The attack that had been launched was quick and powerful, like he had flown right over there instead of making it by foot. In fact, not a foot had touched the ground, not even when he had reached his target.

The psychic drove his sword through one of the demons, first slicing his sliced his face clean off… Like he had promised. Then cut arms and legs off, and as he fell, finished him off by blowing the meat on his bones into smithereens by a simple touch of his hand. There was nothing left of him but a skeleton, the flesh now cinders, but then the bones themselves quickly dissolved. The psychic had used alchemy, making short work of him, transforming the demon into dust. The rest of him, the limbs and severed face, quickly followed suit and became like the rest of him.

The remaining demon stared, absolutely horrified beyond description. "Shit…!"

Kazuma turned his head and looked over at him, grinning sadistically as though he was the bogyman in the flesh, appearing like a nightmare brought to life. His face was once again shrouded by an unexplainable darkness, though it became more apparent that this eerie black initiated from his veins; like black dye that tarnishes everything it touched.

In the matter of seconds, the demon felt his own body heat up, his skin tingling like he had been injected with a million needles. The leader then soon realized that he was burning, his skin bubbling up with third degree blisters.

**/Feel the heat is growing stronger **  
**Everything that's in my way **  
**Will be destroyed/**

Hiei stared as he watched the other demon run away, screaming in terror. He honestly did not know that the curly haired man had it in him, let alone have the nerve to do something so heinous or appeared like an utter…

"…He's a monster…" He said to himself, overcome by both consternation and incredulity over the starling development. "I can't believe it… That clown… He's one of those damn Karma Beasts!" He began to shiver. He had fought many demons before, even those of S-class level, however, never once in his life had he ever experienced such mind-numbing fear until he had seen the psychic unleash such a vehement display.

**/See my journey's growing longer **  
**For eternity I'm doomed **  
**Within the void/**

_"You best keep it to yourself, hypocrite."_ He heard a deep and rumbling voice speak to him and only him. He shifted his eyes, his garnet orbs making contact with those like hot blood. He instantly became petrified by the god, the owner of the said voice. And he could feel the gaze burning holes into his soul. _"Or you will behold what is a true monster."_

The Prince of Hell then appeared before the one fleeing the scene, getting to him before the psychic could. He then speared him in the chest with his hand, ripped out his heart and stuffed it down his throat.

"Go lick King Enma's ass, you unworthy sack of shit." He said as he picked up the demon off the ground. Half living carcass or not, he was not finished with him yet.

He began the callously act of breaking him down, compressing him into a large sphere made of meat, guts, and bone. Once the endeavor was completed, he threw the disgusting ball, purposely casting it into the fire demon's direction. The round and bloody lump hit the three eyed youkai, knocking him right out of the tree… Thus sweetly ending his word of warning.

Hiei had landed smack-dab under the tree with a loud thud, lying upon his back as he grunted in pain. "Dammit.. I got it…the first time…" He hissed, the cursed as he pushed the wad of bloody meat off of him. "Like I honestly care that he is one." Once that rancid thing was out of the way, he then got up and zipped on out of there in a flash.

He told the truth, he had gotten the message. Though no worries there, since the fire demon was good at keeping secrets, or at least holding his own end of the bargain. Meeting a grisly fate given unto him by the hands of an wrathful god was not how he desired to die. Hiei was no fool.

Reficul snorted, and then turned his attention back towards his mate.

**/I am made of burning flame **  
**Cast from coldest ice **  
**There is nothing that can stop me/ **

"Nemo?" He called out to him, but received not a response. "Kazuma…" He tried again, then walked over as he extending out his hand to him, palm facing upward.

"Kazuma is not I." The psychic answered, turning his head slightly so could watch his every step from where he stood; his fiery orbs in the very far comers of his hollow-like eyes. He then chuckled sickly, his laugh sounding unusual; like jingling metal coils or springs. "Call me by any other name, but not the one that belongs to the imposter."

**/Now I ride above the sky **  
**It cannot hold me back **  
**I dive within the deepest **  
**Darkest space/**

The Dark Prince's eyes shined with a glimmer of hope, the red in his orbs lighting up.

Apparently, this side of the psychic knew full well that he had once been a replacement.

**/See I vanish in the light **  
**You cannot find me there **  
**No one can ever catch **  
**The falling star/**

As intimidating and unsettling as the detective currently was… There was an inkling, that perhaps this was the part of him that carried all the memories of the past, of everything that happened to the psychic as far back as a child is granted to develop a span of memory. …No, there was no doubt about it. This was the one who had innocently declared his love for the dark god repetitively, just so he would never forget.

A good enough reason to be all the more excited.

He recalled the image of his lover as a little boy, always beaming up at him with that goofy grin of his. He was such a doll, a total darling, and real sweetie.

_That smile, it happened every time when the kid saw him, despite what hardships and troubles he had faced; like being mistreated by the other children at the park… He would quickly wipe away those tears from his speckled sun-kissed cheeks and smile. He could cry like a baby, and he really could really give a good wail, with tears falling from his eyes like waterfalls… But when the boy saw the Prince, he immediately got over whatever it was…_

_Nothing else seemed to matter to him, not even his own tragic existence._

_He often played with the boy, even while he lived in that orphanage located in London, England. However, that sanctuary for lost children was not your ordinary run-in orphanage, it had also been an asylum for mentally or emotionally damaged children, but also those who were also dangerous. Naturally, it was to be expected if not required by human standards, since he had witnessed the gruesome murder of his own mother, let alone the fact that he had no father to come claim him._

_But it was not merely just her death or his own mortal wounds that had left a permanent scar on him, what the men did to her body afterwards would haunt the child in his dreams. And as reported, he had also stabbed one of the killers with a chimney poker made of iron, right through the gut, which ultimately killed the man. For this act of vengeance, he had been rewarded with thirteen bullet holes in his torso by the remaining three. The officers were surprise, to say the least, by the fact that he had managed to remain alive._

_The investigated police assumed the likely reasons as to why she had been a target; three most likely motivations were… One, because she was a witch. Two, because she was foreign and the men responsible for the crime happened to be intrigued by a form of hentai known as "goru"… Or what some would say "grotesque necrophilia"._

_Were the killers merely sickos? Perhaps not. Reason number three made much more sense when considering the evidence and the facts… For you see, the woman that had been murdered late that night had also been a part of the police force, serving as the law's private yet personal psychic._

_She had been giving away information about particular crime lords and their heinous undercover schemes, but perhaps the major offense she had committed against them was her use of magic, cursing them with bad luck and binding them from success. So, of course they wanted to shut her up, and shut her up for good they did._

_However, no one could explain the death of the rest of the Miss Kuwabara's killers. Two had been ripped apart, limb by limb. Though one of the two, whom happened to be the cadaver lover, received the dreaded Bloody Eagle; a creative method of execution that had not been used in centuries… But the third one had jumped to his death from the fourth story window of the small apartment complex. In fact, he had landed upon one officer's car when he had barely parked his vehicle._

_Some of the neighbors had claimed to have heard screaming that had lasted for about an hour, but it was the sound of loud gunfire that had caused them to call the police._

_When beholding the crime sight, none of the officers could breathe. It had been one of the bloodiest of massacres that they had dreaded ever seeing, and the body of the victim was twisted and mangled, too repulsive to look at._

_Unknown to many, that had been the day when the dark god had first revealed himself to the boy. He had been watching over him since birth, especially while he slept, and more so ever since that fateful moment. The other kids who managed to see him dubbed him as "The Blood Red Sandman", particularly because he wore a lot of red at the time, though one or two called him "Santa"._

_Children are naturally very perceptive individuals, in fact, some are well intuned with the supernatural; unlike adults. Though of course, his boy's "shining" was by far the greatest. However, the adults that ran the place disregarded it as being a mental problem or coping mechanism._

_Alternatively if not unexpected, it had been Ref who had doused his five year old mate's fears since he, too, had learned a little bit of magic from his mother. And some of the other children were prejudice and often quite cruel to him. Besides, the workers at the orphanage were always too busy to comfort every single child. And back then, the services that sanitariums provided were anything but humane, let alone sanitary. The facilities were worn out, filthy, and paint was crumbling off the walls. There was barely any feeling there, only a damp cold._

_The people who ran the orphanage had pretty much stuck him into a dreary hole in the wall, and he was rarely ever allowed to play with the other children. The living conditions were awful, but they kept him there on the account of believing that he was very much a danger to everyone else as he was to himself… Some of their patients claimed that he was hurting them, even though he never laid a finger upon during these mysterious occurrences. One of the nurses had went blind, losing her eyesight due to having scratched her own eyes out._

_Thanks to his mother being originally from Japan, he was fortunately bilingual, which made moving in with his aunt and uncle a lot more easy where communication was concerned… That is, when they finally came and got him. Obviously, he had to relearn the English language all over again years later, which was all credited to the fact that he had forgotten how to speak it._

However, no good came from being part of that family. Ever since he had moved to Japan, all people had ever done was lie to him... Especially those closest to him. They lied about who he was, about his powers, about his parents, about his destiny in the family clan, his origins, about everything... Even his worth.

They never once told him about how he was first raised in The U.K., though neither had they ever informed him about the fact that he had originally been conceived and born in a poor, rundown and forsaken city..which was yet in another country known as Mexico! His mother had also been humanitarian, not just a witch and the clan's heir, and gods help her, she was as restless as she was helpful. She was always more than willing to help others, even if it meant costing her her own life, and it eventually did. ...Which is perhaps where Kazuma gets it all from.

They also lied to him about his friends, too, though his so-called friends had lied to him and about themselves as well.

They were all wolves in sheep's clothing, sick and twisted. And they were all ruining him.

And shit was going to hit the fan eventually._  
_

_And just so you know, back then, Ref was not always in the guise of a little girl. That was merely to fool the other psychic members in that family, the ones who could see him despite how he was invisible to the naked eye. It was one of the many little secrets held between the two of them._

_Seriously, do you honestly think those humans would accept the possibility of the boy being gay, let alone be interested in a centuries old chap who also happened to be a demon-god?_

_Hell, his sexual orientation was one of the many things that they had decided to correct in that brain of his, due to the wishes of that closed minded fool whom the boy had once called "father". If it was up to that bastard, he would have done worse, much worse. The dark prince having overheard him, the brute endlessly flapping his jaws like a slobbering pit bull, carrying on with the same old song, insisting that the boy should be given a lobotomy…that is, after having been shipped back to where he came, incarcerated in that funny farm._

_But look where that fool is now… Six feet under and burning in hell. Right after he had abandoned the family completely, and in less than a year, he had met a bitter end as cold as the northern winds. Ref had anticipated for the moment of his demise, mentally torturing him up to the event of him being the one to have finished the man off. …Let's just say that the god had charitably given a meal to the stray yet ravenous mongrels, to help ease the chronic aches in their bellies due to the harshness brought upon them by advanced human society._

_The scum was not even worth a semi of a quarter to endure the wrath of a dragon, which is something only a worthy foe would be granted to face. He honestly did no longer wished to waste any more time with him, having better things to do._

Being the god of all demons, it was not hard for him to turn beast against man, even if that beast happened to be man's best friend. The iconic hellhounds weren't his pets for nothing, in fact, they were his only loyal and faithful companions down his dark world…far better and easier to trust than any demon. That is besides the dark flamed dragons that swam in the molten molt that surrounded the expansive territory of where his palace stood, or the black demonic horses that he personally owned and kept in stables.

Mind you, trusting other people was not at all his forte.

He did not even trust his servant "Charon", Yomi's biological father, who was the ferryman who carried damned souls to their impending fates.

Though he enforced people to not speak of his secrets in his kingdom, decreeing that they must keep their lips sealed, less they be sown shut and their tongue's removed… However, when the shoe was on the other foot, the Prince became rather indignant, in fact, rather hostile to say the least when others kept things from him. He was also a man who demanded a lot of respect, too, and if you did not give him that reverence you would inexorably face the consequences; or for better terms, pay what he believed to be an acceptable price for whatever crime it was that was done against him.

In truth, the psychic had always been quite the opposite of the foreboding and morbid god; i.e. Kazuma was often compassionate and forgiving, while Reficul was normally quite cruel and ruthless. The psychic was a bit clumsy and sometimes vivacious in character, but the dark god was graceful and flamboyant. Though both possessed their own types of honor and showmanship… Reficul's persona was more befitting of being compared to a historically accurate medieval royal knight, who were really more like bloodthirsty barbaric thugs instead of being actual heroes.

Conversely, Kazuma was more like the admirable Lancelot found in popular pulp fiction. Aside from that, when the psychic was young… His heart had been an open book, and worst still, people enjoyed hurting him simply because he was a pushover.

…So this recent change in behavior was quite extraordinary, indeed, out of character.

Perhaps subconsciously, the reason why the psychic desired to be like knight in shining armor these days was due to the stories that the Dark Prince had told him while he had been but a boy. The orange haired child at one time, as he brought to mind, did desire to be like him… To be a noble warrior, to fight honorably in the heat of battle.

But what he did not understand was that sometimes honor was as though for naught, in other words "pointless", especially when one's foes wage war to bring you down at whatever expense. It was these types of people who were expendable, not worthy of anything proper at all. Furthermore, war was often climatic as it was mere carnage, with the spilling of vast quantities of blood, sweat, and tears. No state of fairness can be found in the midst of war, neither was the game of warfare child's play. And in the end, there is only two alternatives, defeat or victory. And Ref was one to not be bested or outdone by his foes in any contest.

So, no… Honor only suited the worthy, and after all, one takes what he or she gives. Even samurais of the ancient times knew this fact of life, and could prove to be just as ruthless as rest of warriors in human world during and after the time frame; aka The Dark Ages. Samurais were nobles who were skilled in the arts of combat, moreover they were trained assassins. They were pretty much the equivalent of a knight in that time period.

Needless to say, though, Kazuma now saw things in a different light these days, having gathered some understanding as he had matured…

Nevertheless, Reficul did not expect something this drastic to come about.

Then all of a sudden, something happened…

Kazuma found himself hastily clamping his hands upon his face, then fell upon one knee.

He was dragging his fingers against his skin, clawing and raking to the point of breaking the epidermis, all the while gnashing his metal teeth together in agony as be began to bleed from his self-carved wounds. The veins in his body rolled restlessly, now black and visible through almost transparent skin, his flesh upon his bones felt as though he had been thrown into an open fire.

_[FYI: Those fangs of his were really long, like a cat's yet all the more daunting, but all of his teeth were dangerously sharp; like spears that cut like steak knives. And being what he was, those teeth were perhaps one of his most deadliest of weapons, because they are lined with a toxin that has a side-affect that is similar to absinthe... For the average demon, however, one bite was like being injected with neurotoxins...the poison speedily eating away the flesh and bone. __In truth, both the toxin and the energy that is released are relative of that of nuclear energy or gamma-rays, like the power you find in stars, though it does not affect the producer...unlike it does to humans and demons, which could tear them apart or affect them at an atomic level.__ Fortunately, he is naturally this lethal only when being in his ultimate darkest form...especially in the final stages; aka "The Eclipse Effect", which comes before going into the next series of stages of what is called a "Supernova". Most angels have these abilities. Frighteningly, some of the most powerful of angels can summon up the ability to behave similarly to that of a "black hole", sucking in all life and energy around them into themselves...instead of just taking it like a vampire.] _

And then, suddenly, three pairs of slits appeared upon his forehead, just about the same time all of his marking reappeared. They were adjacent to each other, these slits, and were slowly opening up to reveal what appeared to be extra sets of eyes. _  
_

What is more, violent thoughts were now racing through his mind while something was taking away what sanity he had left… To come to the point, the orange haired man was now losing it, including his grip on reality! Anyone standing on the outside could plainly see that whatever he was going under was far from being over.

**/Now I ride above the sky **  
**It cannot hold me back **  
**I dive within the deepest **  
**Darkest space/**

And that shred of hope diminish before the Prince's eyes, only to be replaced with discouragement and frustration.

Not being able to stand it much longer, Kazuma then collapsed on all fours. He began screaming, but the blaring noise was more of a cross between a lion's roar and an irate elephant, yet oddly mechanical.

A better comparison would be playing an instrument without harmony; like a duduk that needed a severe tune up, though the player going berserk while heedlessly blowing vast amounts of air into the instrument like a horn, taking what is to sound smooth and pleasant by ruining the reed and wrecking the brittle and fragile pieces of equipment. How that was possible, don't even ask. Cross that over with recklessly strumming an electric guitar, bagpipes, a colossal organ, and scraping or twisting metal… Well, it sounded like a complete and utter mess.

**/See I vanish in the light**  
**You cannot find me there/**

"Deus ex machina" came to mind. He definitely needed one. And it was apparent that his soul was in agonizing torment, the human part of him struggling with rest of himself.

Reficul appeared behind him in less than a heartbeat. The tails of his trench coat whooshed behind him, staying afloat and wriggled as though caught in a mighty wind.

Starting out in a kneeling position, the Prince latched onto the other man's shoulders, then pulled him back off of the ground. Once having sat down himself, he continued on pulling his mate backwards, into his lap, right at the precise time when he had wrapped his arms around him.

The detective was rising in power as he was in strength. However, he was burning up, badly, so much that the grass had been torched, literally caught aflame around where they now sat…

But the extreme heat bore no affect upon the Prince, however, though if anything it tickled.

His "Nemo" was back to being a firestarter, just as he had been before the seals had locked away most of who he was. And to boot, the energy emitting off of him was pushing everything else away from them, yet, pulling at the same time. The friction cascading through the air, all brought by flooding of his telekinetic power, was beginning to affect the gravity.

In spades, the area encircling them was increasingly being destroyed, and Kazuma's condition was getting worse by each millisecond.

Reficul continued to hold onto him, despite how the psychic was violently writhing up against him in the attempt to tear his nails into something. He began chanting words in the other's ear, casting a spell of calmness over him.

**/No one can ever catch**  
**The falling star/**

Kazuma's screaming immediately ceased, or more like "died out", his voice cracking in the end. And likewise, everything went back to normal, right back to where it once was before this nightmare had commenced. His hidden power was now undetectable, as though gone. He was as calm, returning back to appearing human again for the darkness having had at last subsided. And his face had also repaired itself, no longer having that disturbing somewhat lipless appearance, or that sunken in look. His skin was now flawless, without a single scratch or bruise…

But alas, the boy that had surfaced from within was now very much asleep, eluding the dark god once again… Slipping through his fingers as it all faded away.

The raven haired god's heart became heavy, despair crawling like spiders through his veins. He bore no expression, desolate. Afterwards, when he unleashed a forlorn sigh, he breathed deep, as though he was taking in the gathering gloom from the atmosphere.

The Prince of Hell knew that this was merely the beginning… The warning signs of what was conceived to be the inevitable.

And it made one think… That whatever or whoever else was inside of the swordsman, was giving a warning to leave a shudder upon and to paint horror in the minds of those whom he faced. It must be waiting, desiring to burst free to engage in utter bloodlust, and to wreak vengeance upon those whom had trespassed against him.

The danger was still bubbling beneath the surface. And he could not escape the impression that when that day does finally arrive, no one will see it coming.

Yes, Reficul wasn't stupid. He had been around long enough to know the signs of impending moments of doom, though his minions would rather prefer to describe him as being a genius. Still, he was not at least millennia old for nothing, and with all that time on his hands, there was no longer anything really left to discover…besides finding more individuals to loathe with an unbridled enthusiasm.

And yet a significant part of him wanted this all to come to a bloody end, to finally reach that final threshold. Literally and figuratively "past the point of no return". This world was but a dream to him, a masquerading nightmare where no one comes out to be the victor. And he wanted to stand with his enamored and watch it all burn, consumed by bitter flame, this world that everyone else claimed to be so enthralled with. There was nothing grand about other people, nor their worlds.

_Confound it, and while you're at it, curse the act of "courtly love"! _

Perhaps it had been best that the fire demon had chosen to leave, though knowing that he merely played as the spectator in all of this… Angered the dark god. But that's a demon for you, inexpedient and self-seeking. Not like he could not fix that, though.

He just left the psychic out in the open to die, even if it had not been by the hands of those miserable piss-ants. There was no excuse in that, even if he had been crippled by shock and horror. However, if he should ever cross that imaginary line, Ref would be the one to assure him that a wrath of a dark god was all the more fear provoking and terrible.

He'll be surprised by what one can live through, and that is if he doesn't decide to feed him to the very beast that the youkai had captured to suit his own purposes. The black dragon upon the fire demon's arm originally belonged to him, it was not an inherited power but an actual living creature of black flame. Not like he can keep the beast forever, since these dragons will not obey anyone but their true master, which will be that demon's ultimate undoing. If the Dark Prince wanted to, he could unleash the beast right off the demon's arm, freeing it once and for all…which would not be good at all in the fire demon's case.

Speaking of which, unknown to Hiei, that dragon was slowly devouring him from the inside out, gradually gorging on his very soul. And by the time the beast is done, he will be nothing more than a hollow shell. Time was of the essence, and the Dragon of The Darkness Flame was merely taking it for all it for what it was worth, expending this opportunity to enjoy a free yet splendid meal.

So, in truth, Narakumaru did not need to do anything… That is, if he decided not to. Although, he was the only one who could save him, too. So far, by the looks of it, Hiei was screwed.

But why be disposed of the demon anyway, when torture is much more fun? Again, there's no hurry yet no need for hesitation either. But honestly, he'd rather focus his sinister efforts on that Mazoku Half-breed.

Summoning the winds with a wave of his hand, Reficul put out the fires around them, lickety-split. The action the firmament with clouds, casting a cool shadow to help reduce the rest of the heat. Personally, it was perfect for him since because, like he had said before… He hated the sun.

He then studied his mate's face, the psychic panting from near exhaustion. He was also coughing, perhaps now having "cotton mouth", but what was heaving out through his mouth was this toxic black smoke. Out of the norm for humans, but not for a monster, especially a dragon. unfortunately, those microscopic pieces were not only from his body, but also charred remnants from his own human soul…

If only dark god had realized the extreme danger sooner. Who knows, he could have lost him forever, which was definitely something he did not have on his wish-list.

It must have been what he had read off of the child, something he had received that affected him, perhaps bits of information that did him more harm than good. After considering what had taken place here today, it was the most likely reason as to what had started this mess in the first place.

Kuwabara groaned, his head now throbbing with intense pain. From what, he knew not. In fact, he could not remember a damn thing.

"Dammit… What the hell happened?" He inquired in a weary tone, feeling practically jaded.

He then began to mutter complaints under his breath when noticed how his hair now very much a in a state of disarray. The vibrant curly locks were strung all over his head, like a rat's nest, and was all falling in his face.

When he raised his hands to move his hair back, he finally took notice of how Ref was holding him. As a matter of fact, his friend's arms were purposely wrapped around him, right under his waistline, and hands rested upon the tops of his thighs.

Yusuke had such meaty square shaped hands with average yet rounded fingers… Designed for pummeling opponents as well as heavy duty work. Ha, like "work" can be used in a sentence to describe that jerk.

On the other hand, Reficul's were large and strong, and yet, possessed long and elegant fingers. They appeared sophisticated, but were very much like a demon's… long nails and big knuckles, built to either slice or break any obstacle in the way. Not to mention that they were very detailed in structure. They were perfect for fighting, though the common stereotype used to describe such hands were "music hands" and "piano fingers".

But those nails of his made his hands seem as though they belonged to The Creeper, especially with how pointy they were. Yet another attribute that gave him that classic villainous appearance, the type you see in horror films. They weren't at all like his arch-rival's…pretty much.

Kazuma jolted and then flushed, his eyes now wide. He realized that he had just compared the other man's hands with someone else's. He glanced over his shoulder, only to see how the other man was staring at him with intensity, his red orbs shining as he appeared slightly angry. Could he have heard his thoughts?

He never felt so awkward or shamefaced before as he did now. He felt mortified, if not slightly ill.

Sensing this sudden change in the psychic's aura, Reficul nudged the side of his head with his own nose. _"You belong to me, Nemo."_ He spoke possessively into his mind.

He managed to startled the man, posolutely. Not the response he was looking for, but hearing the smaller man squeak caused him to chuckle a bit. The orange haired man was so flustered by that which he had said, which made him all the more irresistible.

The Dark Prince could feel tension building inside his groin, causing him to grunt slightly. A roguish grin then formed upon the his face, provocative thoughts turn into schemes, conspiring in his mind to claim the other man right here and now. Right now could very well be that golden opportunity, and he very much wanted to cease it. He desperately longed for it, the feel of their bodies touching, their limbs entangled, and their souls reuniting... He slept so long without him that it often tore him apart.

But then his pointy ears caught something…

The Prince of Hell looked up to notice that the spirits of the forest were now gathering around them, drawn to the psychic like metal to a magnet. Something like this had not happened in years, but it did not seem to affect the psychic any.

"Damn poltergeist…" He growled under his breath. It was not that he had anything against ghosts, in fact, he could care less if they watched them at all...

[_Not that he would take advantage of curly haired psychic, anyway, at least not right now... After all, he did not want to break the man's trust that they were still currently building. Manipulating the scenario may have drastic consequences, a price which he was not at all willing to pay. It was too soon, so he has no other choice but to continue being patient. He does possess some chivalry, even if it is just a little._]

However, it was not these spooks that had captured his attention. No, instead he heard loud noises in the distance, coming closer with each passing second.

As the noises neared, it became all the more apparent to the average human ear that there was more than one. You could hear the footsteps, the shaking of branches, and the rustling of leaves. As it grew closer, it could be heard from all around. To say that the forest was in a stir would be an understatement.

"What's that?" Kazuma asked as he shifted his gaze, eying the forestry. He did not need an answer, though, since his sixth sense alerted him of the presence of demons.

When he tried to get up to prepare for battle, however, his friend would not permit him to leave that exact spot. Ref simply refused to let him go, not wanting him to get all helter-skelter.

"Trouble is attracted to you like flies to a dead horse." Reficul commented dryly, though he was primarily teasing the man. "Don't go looking for it, Nemo."

At first, Kazuma was about to growl at him in protest, but that had been nipped in the butt when he notice how the racket was passing by.

The psychic became awfully confounded.

The youkai had literally gone around them, avoiding any sort of confrontation, which would have been a definite possibility if they had chosen to have gone straight through. He seriously doubted that they were afraid of him, more than likely they must have been afraid of someone or something else. There had to be an explanation as to why they ignored them.

Kazuma's brow furrowed. He then wondered as to where they were going, but then it had dawned on him when he realized what location they were actually heading off to.

He automatically became tense, his eyes now wide.

**oOoOoOo**

While making way through the forest with much haste, a certain fox demon had noticed the dramatic changes in the set course ahead of them. At first, the energy had been erratic, always changing, and unbalanced; like a compass in the Bermuda Triangle, only here you received this horrid sensation where it feels like someone had placed your head into a vice and they kept tightening it little by little, all the while trying to fry your brains… But now…it was completely gone.

_"That's strange… That peculiar energy signature has suddenly vanished without a trace."_ He thought quietly to himself as he kept up the speedy pace. _"Where did the angel go? It just disappeared."_

But then Yoko spoke to him; _"…Something else is coming. Straight ahead, making their way towards you."_

_"Their?"_ Kurama questioned, but then realized that the alert was indeed true. However, it had been more of a word of caution, to forewarn rather than inform.

"Hold up, Kurama!" Koenma called out from behind him. "Do you feel that?"

Kurama halted and then looked at him, he waited for the Reikai Prince to finally catch up, and once he did he almost fell over from exhaustion. The Prince bent forward, resting his hands upon his now bended legs, all the while trying catch his breath. The fox couldn't help but notice that Koenma had been oblivious to most of everything that had transpired before now, as if the strange energy had not affected him in the least...other than seeming more easily tired out than usual.

The demigod was literally panting like a chained dog left out in the hot and broiling sun.

Koenma was obviously not use to this sort of exercise, due to his usual livelihood of having to sit behind a desk and sign papers all day. However, if he really wanted to, he could have just appeared at the sight in the blink of an eye… But here's the thing about Koenma, however: He really did not want to risk being there alone, and Kurama was the next best person to protect him...right after Yusuke, of course. He did not believe Kuwabara would be capable, and depending upon Hiei for protection was out of the question.

And all this stress was putting a real damper on him. Not to be a wet blanket or anything, but keeping this guise up was beginning to prove to be back-breaking work.

As the Prince continued hyperventilate and wheeze for oxygen, the redhead nauseously sniffed the air. He smelled two separate people nearing their vicinity… Master Gong was one of them, he knew, though his keen sense of smell was told him that the other person with him was absolute unfamiliar.

"As a matter of fact, yes…" He finally answered. "And we have company."

Koenma looked up, now sensing two life forces as well. He could also hear the footsteps up in the trees as they neared, but they seemed to belong to one person.

Then suddenly, an ape-like man jumped down before them, landing gracefully upon his feet like a cat. And in his arms was a child, who by now was wide awake.

"HELLo." The strange man greeted them, though it was hard to tell if he was pleased at all to see them. Emphasizing the first four letters, for one, denoted that he really wasn't.

The two stared at him in surprise, especially Kurama who had expected to see Kuwabara's martial arts teacher…

But instead, here was a man with soft ape-like features, especially in his facial features with that flat nose and burly eyebrows. He possessed wild golden hair, short yet cut in a style usually seen on surfers and skateboarders. His face was rough and rugged, thanks to what appeared to be a five o'clock shadow, though the stubble was mostly noticeable on his chinny-chin-chin.

He did not look like Master Gong at all… Not one single bit.

Though oddly enough, he smelled just like him and wore the same clothes. He even possessed the same energy signature, but that, too, had changed somewhat. Besides his physical appearance, the other difference was that he now wore a straw hat and that he was a lot taller.

The Reikai Prince cocked his head to the side, studying the man before them. "Wait a minute…" He thought out loud as it finally came to him. "Gong, is that you?"

"Ah yah! In the flesh, I be." Sun Wukong answered with a complacent grin, pointing to himself with his thumb. "You is lookin' at him, who is me."

Koenma twitched. Yep, it was him. Only one person would be liable to butcher the human languages. Though, he honestly did not know if he should be surprised or not.

They then turned their attention to the little girl in his arms.

However, as they did, she immediately avoided all eye-contact with them.

Irei had shied away, burying her face in Sun Wukong's kimono. Actually, she was not really a shy little thing, but instead when she had seen the redheaded fox, she immediately became fearful. She knew that he was a demon, and because of this she did not want him to see her. Though one must understand, so far her experience with other demons were anything but pleasant or congenial.

One demon in the past actually had managed to be her bodily harm, and the proof was permanently seen on her face. It's how she got that scar in the first place, by a demon who had tried to blind her by aiming his claws for her eyes. And lets not forget what other demons had done to her mother.

Still, Kurama did not need to see her face to realize what she was. He could tell right off the bat, and he was not exactly okay with it.

When sensing the tension from the fox within the man, the poor little thing began to shake. She could feel Yoko's incurred scorn and odium towards her.

But Kurama himself was being anything but discreet since the fox's sentiments shined right through his veil of poise. Quite plainly, it was written upon his face.

Becoming quite irked by the fox's rude behavior, Sun Wukong took out his power-staff, extended it and then whacked the redhead upon the top of the head. His actions were so quick, lightning fast, that no one had seen it coming. And boy was it a wallop of a strike.

Koenma had jumped back in astonishment, eyeing the weapon with much unease as he instinctively shielded himself with his arms, not at all desiring for himself to be hit like that.

"You damn demons and your prejudice!" Sun admonished as he retreated his staff, putting it away. "Ah yah! To the fiery pits with you for believing that you're any better!"

Moments later, a large protuberant formed upon the fox's head… A pulsing knot that throbbed like the dickens. Kurama's face paled, no one had ever done that to him before. And worst of all, he heard a slight giggle come from the baby girl.

Evidently, she found satisfaction as well as hilarity in this. The fox within could not help but feel contempt.

"Now, kindly put away your sour attitude and head back to the shrine." The foreign deity sternly ordered, pointing towards the direction behind them. When Koenma was about to protest, he bit; "Immediately!" Right now, he was not in the mood to play any games, especially with them.

"Mister…" Irei spoke up while tugging upon his shirt to get his attention. "Something's coming." Naturally, she could not speak really clearly, being a child and all, but this is a clearer translation of what she had just said.

The deity grimaced, now sensing the soon arrival of more demons. Trouble was coming, and he could feel it in the air, let alone taste or smell it.

But they weren't the only ones, Kurama and Koenma now knew it, too. There was so many of them, too many to count. The forest was now teeming with them, trudging through the forest as though on the hunt for something.

The youkai were heading precisely their way and towards the direction of the shrine...

"The girls."

Little Irei whimpered, her bottom lip quivering as tears filled her eyes. _"It's because of me they're coming."_ She thought, feeling extremely guilty for putting them all through this. As the crimson tears fell down her chubby cheeks, she again decided to hide by burying her face against Sun's clothes.

As they turned around and began heading back, Koenma let out a sigh and said quietly to himself; "We could seriously use Yusuke right about now."

**oOoOoOo**

Meanwhile, elsewhere lurking in the shadow realm...

"It seems this is getting out of hand..."

"So, I take it that we're not going to return to The Thirteenth Dimension?"

"No, not as of yet. I must tend to this issue first before it progresses into something far much worse... However, even though my services my not be needed, it is still my duty to see to that everything goes according to plan. It is my mission and an enormous honor given to me by my King."

"I see... Well, wherever you go, so will I."

**#4#5#6**

_The Death Of A Sidekick: _

_It's a known fact that when a sidekick leaves a lead hero's side alive, he or she will either end up playing a protagonist role on his or her own...or end up as the enemy of the law. Sidekicks, when sticking to the side of good, usually develop into anti-heroes, or the exact opposite of his or her commanding leader... Though not the hero or heroine that everyone loves since he or she can never live up to the one who came before them, and in other words, cursed to forever remain in the shadow of another._

_However, if a sidekick had been a close friend or best friend of the hero, in that case... Things get very tricky. Usually, these sorts of scenarios tend to have tragic endings. The sidekick is more than likely going to join the opposite side, aka he or she then becomes the villain... And also plays as the major thorn in the beloved hero's side; intending to destroy everything that the hero loves and lives for, to rob him of his happiness, to tear apart his sanity, to bring the death of his everything...including the meaning of his existence...and then end his life._

_You see, close sidekicks like the one above usually end up being your worst of enemies, or literally your worst nightmare... Because they know everything about you and how you tick, and worst of all, everything is personal. Very personal._

_One can only hope that when the time comes, the latter won't be the case._

_**Kuwabara:** *growls* Oh, c'mon! What kind of person do you take me for? Like I would ever do such a thing like that! I swear... *shakes fist* Whoever wrote this malarkey is going to receive a beating of a lifetime, starting with a hard kick in the teeth! *punches the air*_

_**Jorge:** *fretful* Sorry! My bad! Please, don't hurt me! I'm just a narrator, doing what narrators do! ...Like random commenting that sometimes makes absolutely no sense! *clears throat* "Canker-sore!" ...And I can sing songs, like... *continues on babbling*_

_**Kuwabara:** *sweat drops* ...Ohboy... *face/palms*_

_**Jorge:** I'm actually quite the handy-man... I cook. I clean. ...Mister fix-it is what the other Ogres call me... Jack of all trades! *suddenly pulls out a pair of scissors* Look, I'll even cut your hair to make it up to you! And then we'll spend it into gold in the spinning doohickey thingy!_

_**Kuwabara:** *jumps back and guards hair for dear life* Stay back!_

_**Jorge:** *pouts* But I'm really good at it!_

**…TBC…**

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**Author's Comments:**

Sorry for the long wait. I've been having family matters… And other things that needed to be attended to, which still need to be dealt with.

Okay, now to reply to reviews:

L1f3: Thanks for the compliment… However, to answer your question… I would not doubt that Hiei could hear his thoughts. I mean, he could have. We must recall that he has more than a few known abilities, too. Also, if the Beautiful Suzuka could manage to hear Kurama's thoughts, then why couldn't Hiei hear other people's thoughts, too? But does he feel guilty? Only time will tell.

Poor Hiei, though.

Dark: You're right about what you said. It would probably scare the crap out of them. In fact, if Hiei had been startled, imagine how the others will respond when they find out. However, he won't be the one to tell them what he saw. He won't dare risk it.

Zu: Hmm. You'll never know when Yusuke may pop in or where the gang might meet him. I am pretty much going with the flow here, though I do have a major plot in mind. And who knows, Sensui might even make an appearance before he does.

And thank you all so much for your compliments. They mean a lot.

I just hope I am not losing any readers… You're all valuable to me.

oOo

Oh, btw... I recommended the song "Somewhere" by Within Temptation. When I hear it, it makes me think of Ref and Kaguya/Kuwabara. Also, check out the song "Demons" by Brian Mcfadden. Yes, it's sad. I know. This story just seems to be primarily focused on them.

And yes, I just added that song. It's called "Falling Star" by Stratovarius. I've been looking for a song to fit. There's many songs out there concerning or related to stars.


	19. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

Dark: Thanks for the comments. I was beginning to worry that no one was interested in the story any longer. Scared the crap out of me, really. Anyway… I have to agree with what you said about Hiei. He wouldn't care, sure he might be fearful (for once in his life), but he wouldn't care about as to what Kuwabara is. No. But as for the rest of what you had just said, well, I won't be giving away.

Whoo! Onward with the story! As you can tell by the title below, this chapter is dedicated to Keiko.

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**WHAT HURTS KEIKO THE MOST**

Back at the shrine…

Shizuru sat on the floor in a room next to the dojo, an area which was pretty much the living room; however, there was no chairs to sit upon in here. She was shivering, shaken to the core, knowing now that the nightmares from the past were coming back again.

She subconsciously began rubbing her arms to help relieve her from the goosebumps that have been plaguing her skin for nearly half an hour, or a little over twenty minutes at least. And all the while puffing away on a twisted and slightly bent cigarette, which was due to the fact that she had sat upon her carton earlier while having that episode.

Yukina had healed her feet, while Botan and Keiko had cleaned up the mess. They did not understand what was going on with her, but did they ever? The tall girl was very hard to read, not to mention the fact that she was a well reserved individual.

"You've been acting very funny lately, Shizuru…" Came a sweet yet concerned voice, snapping the girl out of her daze. "Are you sure that you're okay?"

The psychic looked up, almost surprised to see Keiko there. She had been so out of it that she did not realize that the other woman had entered the room. She smiled warmly and poised herself, trying her best to mask the true feelings within.

"Yes… I'm fine. It's… Nothing." She replied, stuttering at first as she searched for the right words to say. "I've just been under the weather is all." After a brief moment passed, she added; "Have you heard from Yusuke yet?"

"No." Keiko answered, then lets out a sigh as she sat down right beside her. "I have not heard from that idiot, not one phone call that he's arrived back in Ningenkai." She continued with slight irritation. "Apparently he's still in demon world, probably releasing stress as we speak. I swear, sometimes I envy him. At least he's found a way to relieve himself."

The girl then bit her bottom lip, forming tiny craters in the tender rosy brim with her teeth. Her face became bitterly vexed as a sudden deep depression swept over her, her brow knitted, and her almond colored eyes filled with pain and discontent. _"…But not by relying on me…he should be here for me… Why can't I be the one to comfort him? Am I not good enough?"_ She thought, then pulled her legs up to her chest and embraced them, resting her chin upon the tops of her knees.

Shizuru stared at her, her expression soft yet her own eyes tainted with apprehension. She really did not like seeing the other girl upset, not at all, especially like this. She was too special to be going through such pain. The poor girl was just staring mindlessly at the floor before her, as though she had taken interest in it.

She took in a long drag of her cigarette, then inquired; "What's eatin' ya, babe?" Although she already guessed right as to what was bothering her.

"It's just…" The smaller girl answered with a melancholy tone, not removing her eyes off of that same spot. "It's just that I've been thinking is all."

"About what?" Shizuru gently prodded for answers, though mostly because she wanted the other girl to let some of what was pent-up out.

"About that fight I had with Yusuke again." Keiko replied with unbridled truth, sighing once again before she had begun to speak. "I just can't seem to get it far away from my mind." She paused for a moment, gathering up her inner strength so that she could further divulge. "It was initially about Kuwabara. We argued over the whole thing, you know, about how such a lousy friend Yusuke really is…" Her tone then grew empty, surprisingly flat, showing a lack of emotion as though she was now informing about was merely an everyday thing. "And believe me, things got hectic, violent even. I hit him. He hit me. And then I hit him back, only to be pushed down by him in return. That's when he took it upon himself to leave our apartment, just marched out the door, enraged so much that he did not even look back to see me cry. I literally bawled my eyes out that day, all night, too. And the left side of my face would have remained blue, the place where he struck me, and still be covered in bruises if it had not been for Kurama bringing Yukina over to heal me."

Shizuru stared at her, her cigarette falling from her lips, landing on the stone floor beside her. She then gritted her teeth, gnashing them together as rage mingled with scorn began to swell up inside of her. And here she once thought that he was a friend, maybe not a good friend, but a friend nonetheless… Well, here's to proving her wrong. Dead wrong. In her eyes, anything that ever happens to Keiko is an unforgivable offense, a crime that needn't go unpunished.

This girl had gone through everything he had put her through, yet this is how he repays her? And yet the female psychic was the one to always be picking up the pieces, not that she minded at all in the least bit. But come on, enough is enough. It was by far overdue, because someone seriously needed to change this broken record. She did not care if he had died once to save a child from being killed, not that he needed to anyway.

"But that's just part of it." Her friend continued as she finally looked up at her, the pain and betrayal somehow brimming out of her beautiful brown orbs. "During our quarrel… Yusuke was pinning the guilt on me, like everything had been all my fault all alone… And when I saw how Kuwabara was staring at me, I could not help but feel as though…"

"Say no more, Keiko." Shizuru interjected, placing a finger gently upon the other girl's lips to hush her. She wanted to hear no more of this, less she gets up and hunts Yusuke down herself, leaving no stone unturned. Quite frankly, she wanted to pummel him down into the ground for all it was worth, making him flatter than a pancake if possible. "Because it's not you're fault. I assure you, you're not to blame for anything."

Despite how comforting those words are, Keiko could not help but feel the need to disagree.

"But I feel so guilty, Shizuru!" She countered hysterically, warm yet salty fluid now being released from within their bodily prison. She repositioned herself, now facing her friend as she sat upon her shins. "I mean, I defended that jerk of a husband of mine, but at what extent? Hurting my friends?"

The tall girl frowned. "Not everything lasts forever," She began softly, not knowing anything else better to say that offered any comfort. "Sometimes this also includes love, which is like kindling fire. If there's nothing to feed it, it will eventually go out. The truth hurts, I know... But true love is so hard to find." She breathed a sigh through her nose, knowing that exact feeling all too well. "And me being a psychic... I know well enough that relying on The Red Ribbon of Fate is not good enough, because if you don't know how it works it can and will be misleading. In fact, it only really means something when the thread is actually glowing. Only then is it meant to be, because whoever it leads to is your true soul mate."

Keiko lowered her head, her bangs shielding her eyes as the tears finally fell and stung her cheeks.

"Girl, you're too good for him." Shizuru told her, feeling quite miffed about how the other girl was crying over that scumball. "He doesn't deserve to have someone as sweet, loving and caring as you, not to mention the fact that you're a very smart girl and a fantastic cook. You deserve better. Hell, you can do so much better than sticking it out with him." She then twisted her body to stomp out the cigarette beside her, taking out her frustrations on it.

After hearing her say that, Keiko suddenly giggled.

The psychic blinked, now bewildered by the girl's sudden change of behavior. "What?" She asked, wondering what was so funny.

Keiko sniffled as she wiped away the tears from her eyes, she then looked up at her with a dazzling smile. "What you just said evoked an old memory of mine." She said, then paused briefly, replacing her smile with a thin one. "Actually, it was a dream. A very strange dream."

That stroke the taller girl's curiosity, though it was silly that an old dream could manage to affect a person. Nevertheless, seeing the girl smile again was good enough. "A dream about what?" She inquired with interest, deciding to egg her on to spill the beans. "C'mon, details."

"Well, in the dream…" Keiko began, her eyes glancing towards the upper left as she tried to gather up her memories. "Yusuke had ended up being married to Botan, living with her in a house together. Oddly enough, Yusuke had the same dream, making me believe as though something or someone was telling us something."

The other girl was surprised to hear that. Usually these things don't occur unless it really was an important message. "From my experience, toots… Sure sounds like it to me."

Keiko nodded in agreement. "I was distraught over it at first, but when I thought about it more, it really did not seem to phase me as much. Everyone was in it, too, including you. In fact, I was with you the entire time, and when Yusuke finally showed up, he seemed to be lost. I was spiteful, though, for some reason… And we both laughed together when he stepped on a golden turd." She placed a hand upon her lips, trying desperately not to laugh, almost failing miserably.

Shizuru smirked. "You've got to be kiddin' me… That's hilarious!" She pointed out as she then grinned evilly at the thought. "Serves him right, that cheeky bastard!"

"Yeah," Keiko accorded. "And I didn't feel sorry for him at all. We just laughed at him as he screamed in absolute horror!"

The two suddenly doubled up, bursting out in a state of hysterics.

"HAHAHAHA! What for? It's just shit! Everyone's bound to step in a pile at one point!"

"Actually he seemed to be more terrified of us! He's so childish, I swear!"

"I don't see why not! We're both capable of beating his dumb ass and he knows it!"

"But during the whole dream he was scared beyond compare!"

"What a wuss!"

Once they began to simmer down, giving a minute or two for all it was worth, Keiko continued the conversation. "But do you want to know what's the weirdest part, a real Ripley's Believe It Or Not scenario?"

"Sure, I'll bite." Shizuru answered, still chuckling to herself for a little while longer.

"You won't be believe this when I tell you, because it's really that freaky." She warned at first, but continued speaking when her friend gestured with her hand to go on. "In the dream," She paused to take a deep breath. "Kuwabara was the chief commando, protecting the world from the onslaughts of evil."

The psychic snorted as she rolled her eyes, although deep down she could not be more proud of him. "Sounds just like my bro."

"Yeah…" Keiko nodded. "Which is pretty much what he is now, the new leader of this team. Only without the army get-up, that and he looks different now. Much different. And Yukina wasn't there, in fact, she was not in the dream at all. Though the most unbelievable part, yet, was that Hiei was respectful to him."

"That is strange." Shizuru said with a short laugh. "It's hard to believe that shorty would ever consider my bro anything higher than an ameba."

"Yeah, tell me about it. It was though Kurama and Hiei were actually proud to have him as their leader, more than willing to obey his orders. An elite sense of honor to serve by his side, again, Hiei more than anyone else."

"Well," Came a snarky remark, incredulous about those possibilities ever coming into existence. "I believe we have a long ways to go before any of that happens." More like she'll believe it when she sees it.

Keiko giggled, but it was short lived when she heaved a forlorn sigh. "I had the dream years ago, before we got married… Sometimes, I think to myself…that…I made a mistake by doing so." She confessed, revealing her innermost guarded feelings on the matter. "I mean, he's never really ever there for me, and he was gone while I had that miscarriage… You were there, you should know."

Shizuru nodded, thinking back to that day. The poor girl had fallen on the job, hard against the concrete floor by slipping on spilt soy sauce. She had been working extra-hard, too, just to make up the money was needed to pay the bills. In truth, she had been working overtime, for three people, which had included them as a couple and their soon to be born baby girl. However, when she fell that day, she immediately went into labor, though the chances of the baby actually living were slim to none… Blood and umbilical fluid pooling between her legs, gushing, that being the infallible guarantee that something had gone terribly wrong. But it was not her blood, it was the baby's.

And Yusuke was nowhere around to help her, instead a valued customer had called the hospital. Sadly, by the time she had reached the clinic, it was by far too late… The baby that had came out was a of all, it had only been her parents, Kurama, Yukina, and she who had gone to see while she had been healing over the incident. The doctors had no other choice but to give her a C-section in order to save her. Yusuke had found out much later, like a day after she was supposed to have the child.

Naturally, the two mourned over the fatality, their tragic loss of a little person that they had been expecting to receive for almost eight months. Foolishly, Yusuke insisted that they should try to have another, but Keiko so stubbornly refused; which was highly understandable by any female's point of view. The incident wouldn't have happened in the first place if he had been doing his part, but no, instead he was dealing with more business in Makai. Keiko was not stupid and neither did she wish to undergo such a horrible and heartrending experience ever again.

Shizuru inwardly swore that his Mazoku blood was finally getting to his brain, so much that he was now constantly wearing his ass upon his shoulders.

"I really don't know how much more I can take of this. Nowadays, I just…wish it would be over, between us that is." Keiko shook her head, feeling misery creep its way back in.

"…I see."

"Besides, he's a demon…" Keiko persisted in speaking, trying to reason with herself more than anything else now. The brown haired girl gave off the notion that she had really had been seriously thinking about all of this, about them, their life, and being together as a whole. "He'll forever remain young, while I'll grow old and eventually die. And I don't know if I can bear that. I just want to be really happy for once in my life, yet not have that happiness come to ruin time after time…like it has been." She paused, she biting her bottom lip as new tears threaten to surface. "And he's changed so much these passed years that…he frightens me now more than anything…"

Shizuru frowned, now really worried as she thought of the possibilities as to what caused the other girl to be fearful of the man.

"Shizuru…" The girl looked the psychic dead in eye. "I don't think I'm in love with him anymore." She gave a weak laugh, straining so hard to not fall apart at the seams. "I think I can finally say that now, after all these years."

Keiko then moved in closer, only to fall upon the taller girl. Fortunately, Shizuru caught her in her arms, just in the nick of time before she could have gotten hurt. She was awfully upset now, more than before. And though the female psychic was pleased to know that the smaller girl was finally through with the dark haired fighter, their relationship now terminated, but sadly this merely marked the beginning of a new set of problems that would eventually rear their ugly head.

"In truth, I don't want him to come here." Keiko asserted, her voice cracking. "I dread it so much, to see his face…I feel sick just thinking about it." She began to tremble, all the while rubbing her forehead against her friend's bosom, who in return began to lightly stroke her head. "And I know that he's cheated on me, at least once. I heard it slip through Botan's mouth years ago, while we were still teenagers… He had a fling, a spur of the moment, in a heat of a moment…!"

"Keiko…" Shizuru spoke, trying to calm the girl's recent outpour of emotions.

"But I still married him, Shizuru!" Keiko declared, which was perhaps the true climax of the tumult. "I still married him! I'm such an idiot for living in denial for so long and I hate myself for it!" She then looked up at her, while her hands gripped the fabric of the other girl's shirt. "I was never really angry at Kuwabara… Well, at first I thought I was, but then I realized that... I was actually angry at myself and for everything else that's happened!"

Shizuru shushed at her gently. "Do you wish for me to wring that blue haired hussy by the tresses?" She inquired, hoping that the offer would at least make her feel better, even if it was just a little bit.

Keiko smiled weakly. "No…" She answered, now receding back into calm as she let go the other woman's clothes. "I could tell that she was ashamed at the time. Furthermore, she doesn't seem to be interested in him much anymore. And even if she was, I'd wish her real luck with dealing with that bum."

"Actually," They heard someone speak up at the room's entrance. Both then turned to see that it was none other than Botan herself, causing Shizuru to glare dangerously at her as she muttered words under her breath; 'speaking of the devil' was one of the things she had uttered. "After hearing your story… I don't really think I'd want to uptake that offer. In fact, I refuse."

The two blinked, surprised by the fairy-guide's sentiments on the matter. But Shizuru, however, doubted that her statement was sincere, sensing a muddle of mixed emotions coming from the girl; confusion, love, and angst being the major top three components. Also, according to what the reaper had just said, she must have been listening in on the whole conversation; aka eavesdropping.

"I mean, Yusuke's great and all, in his own way…" The blue haired girl continued. "But even I don't want to endure what he put you through, because...like you...I'm pretty much the same way when looking to be with the right person… Not like he hasn't been treating me any differently than you, however." She looked down at the floor, twiddling her fingers nervously. "Say... Take for instance, back when he was in Makai for the first time. Lord Koenma and I were there during the demon tournament… The things that he had said to us was…rather unsettling." She sighed, then uttered the next line a slight bit more quietly; "Sometimes I think Koenma Sir forgets these days that Yusuke's now a demon, and well, most demons behave a bit differently than humans."

"Oh, like caring more about fighting than everything else?" The shorter brown haired woman muttered softly with a huff, though it was merely on impulse. And here she thought it was just Kuwabara and her that her husband had hurt, but apparently not.

Botan looked up, making direct eye contact with the one whom she was addressing. "Like you said, Keiko, Yusuke has changed, but not for the better... He's not the boy that I once loved, either. Sometimes I long for the times before his demon days, like back when we all faced Yakumo. Yusuke was a different person then." A small yet sad smiled dressed her lip. "I'm truly sorry, Keiko. I know I've hurt you. Tremendously. And I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I'm ashamed of myself. And if I could, I would change things…but I can't. I can only try to empathize, though I know I can't ever match up to how you must feel."

"It doesn't matter…" Keiko replied in sigh. "You can't change people, people can only change themselves."

The reaper nodded. "Sad but true, I'm afraid."

A few moments passed by before Keiko suddenly gasped, which caused the other two girls to suddenly become alert.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Shizuru!" Keiko exclaimed as she turned her head back towards her. "I came in here to make sure that you were alright, but you wounded up comforting me instead."

Shizuru smiled a bit, raking her fingers through her own long brown locks, jerking her head to the side a bit as she did. "It's no big deal, seriously." She opposed lightly with a shrug, finally putting up her resolve.

"No, I mean it." The girl argued, though it was in rather pleading tone. "I really wanted you to be okay again."

"Well, thanks to you I'm good to go now." She assured back at her, then patted her lightly on the head.

Keiko flushed at the contact, her heart strangely palpitating all of a sudden. Nevertheless, she smiled happily, knowing that at least something good had came from all of this.

Botan watched with fascination, but not alone since Yukina was now standing beside her, smiling at the two. She had been an accomplice by spying on the brown-haired girls herself as well.

"GIRLS!"

**…TBC…**

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**Author's Comments:**

...And Yusuke is seriously messing his life up, or at least the life that he once knew...

I bet none of you expected what you've all read in this chapter.

Ahem. Yes.. Anyway... I wanted to dedicate this chapter to the ladies, because they are just as important.

Also, about the dream… That actually came from one of the anime's OVAs. It was Yusuke's nightmare within a nightmare, and yet, within another nightmare. I decided to use it, bring it in, since it would be an awful waste not to. We all know that some dreams can mean things, however, sometimes these dreams can be misleading… And also, sometimes not everything in dream premonition comes true, though some things do.

So…anyway… Please comment or review! Please! I need to know what you think. It helps feed the fires of creativity.


	20. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

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**THE DEMON PARADE  
**

_"GIRLS!"_

All four of the girls jumped in startlement, but it was the blue haired fairy who spazzed the most.

"Girls! Botan! Where are you?" It was Koenma, who then entered their vision a moment later, running with Kurama trailing behind him. "There you all are!"

"Yes, here we are." Came Shizuru's sardonic retort, mildly irritated at the moment. "What is it?"

Sun Wukong then came into vision in a beat of a second right after that, still carrying the little girl.

Botan blinked at him. "Who's he?"

The martial arts master made a face. "Yes, everyone seems to be asking that exact same question." He spoke with sarcasm, already growing tired of hearing the same questions. "Like they all catch flue suddenly. It is epidemic."

"And why does he look like a monkey?" The reaper continued to question as she looked towards her boss for answers. "Is he a friend of your's, Koenma Sir? I don't ever recall seeing him before."

Sun's face faltered as he sweat dropped. Apparently she did not hear him, the very same went for the other female bodies in the building.

He cleared his throat to get their attention. "Have you ladies heard the news, yet? It's me. The beloved and fabulously obnoxious Drunken Master, who raids the iced box whilst everyone sleeps." It was a jest, although his tone sounded as though he was flattered with himself.

Three of the girls' jaws had dropped, staring at him in astonishment. Shizuru, on the other hand, was the one to roll her eyes at him for being so corny. Quite frankly, she was not all that surprised.

"Long story short, he's The Monkey King." Koenma enlightened. "As for the little girl… I don't know. This is no place for a baby."

Sun sent him a dirty look. "Ah yah, like you can speak. I'll have you know that this little baby was in danger, though you can thank my student for her still being about to breath. She would have ended up as chow if he had not intervened."

Kurama's eyes widened slightly when hearing that, however, he said not a thing. Instead, he became a bit tense. In truth, the fox did not want the child here, but if Kuwabara had saved her…getting rid of her would prove to be quite a challenge. Kuwabara was quite protective, he knew by experience, especially over women and children.

As for the psychic's older sibling, she felt the exact opposite. In fact, she couldn't refrain from quirking a smile at the little thing. And in return, the little Hone-onna looked back at her with curiosity.

"…Did he, really?" The Reikai Prince quipped, although very amazed that his new detective was actually capable of saving someone.

Clearly now agitated, The drunken master retorted; "My prostate is full to bursting and liver is weak thanks to you."

Koenma stared at him for the nonsensical remark, his face contorting in disgust. Botan placed a hands beside her ears, knowing full well what was going to come next.

"WHAT?" He blew his lid moments later. "First of all, how does that fit in this conversation? Secondly, how on earth is that possible? I'm not the one who forced the liquor bottle to your mouth!"

"Be quiet or I'll beat you like small dog!" Sun snapped right back at him.

The Reikai Prince leapt back away from him, quickly recalling that the deity still possessed that stick of his. "EEP!"

Shizuru snorted. "Coward." She muttered under her breath, then stood up and fished in her front right pocket to retrieve her smokes; she had relocated them.

The fox demon suddenly spoke up; "Enough. We're getting off track here." He addressed them all with much seriousness, his somewhat icy tone taking most of his friends aback, particularly Yukina; the very first time she had ever witnessed her husband being like this. "There are demons heading this way."

"What?" Botan shouted, horrified. "Why?"

"Because that little girl happens to be one of our enemies, a devil." Kurama replied, though the voice that came out of him was clearly Yoko's.

Irei instinctively clung onto Sun more, now more mortally afraid of the rosy redhead than before.

Yukina frowned at her hubby. "Kurama, you're scaring her!" She chided, making it rather clear that she was not pleased with his current attitude. And even though he was also the man who had sworn to be her personal protector during these types of situations, it was still uncalled for. "Not to mention that you're scaring the rest of us."

The fox turned his attention towards her, noticing the hurt and disappointment written across her features. He felt terrible, but that little girl's presence was provoking his inner demon, who was compelling him to behave out of character. It was Yoko who did not trust the child, surprisingly suffering from his own insecurities because of something he had dealt with in his past.

Yoko was not the only one with the deep seated issues, though. Koenma, himself, was now feeling a similar way, except his was discountenance. It's already bad enough that The Prince of Hell was among them, now he had to suffer through this, too? He was definitely going to give Kuwabara a definite talking to when he got back, because he was being more reckless than his prior detective was by befriending the worst types of people. Honestly, it was a thunderstruck to him. After all, Kuwabara had made a solemn vow to never fail him; his word was his bond.

One should not tempt with fates, because you may never know when one of these creatures may bring you to your death. Karma beasts are deadly, let alone harvesters of sorrow and death. And their influence over how the worlds are ran, clearly denotes how dangerous they truly are. These creatures are manipulative monsters, sometimes messing with people's lives for the fun of it. Whoever said stars are lucky needed to get a serious reality check.

"I apologize." Kurama expressed softly to all of them, though namely to his koorime. "But we really need to act quick--"

"They're here." The brown-haired psychic cut him off, standing there nonchalantly as she then lit a cigarette.

The fox demon looked out the nearest window, only to observe a deluge of demons swarming towards their location. "Girls, find some place to hide. Quickly!"

The Spirit World guise began to freak out. "WHERE?"

"Your guess is as good as mine…" Shizuru told her, pulling Keiko along with her as she made her way out of the room. "Anywhere would be great!"

Yukina followed suit, Botan scampering after her.

Koenma turned to follow, but then stopped when he realized that Sun Wukong was merely standing there, not moving a muscle. "Why aren't you following them?"

Kurama looked at him as well.

"Because there is no place to hide, no place to go." Sun said simply as a matter of fact. "The temple doors can only keep them back for so long, that is if you people can make it in time."

Having lived here for so many years, he knew this place like the back of his hand. He also figured that if the girls desperately wanted to keep safe, that they would more than likely choose the temple. But there was a problem with that plan, the temple was outside, which was at least fifty feet away from the single level complex that they were presently now in.

The other men folk, or more like the reincarnated fox and the masquerading demigod, did not like the sound of that… So, with quick haste they went after the girls with the intentions to get them into the temple safely.

Sun Wukong, on the other hand, disappeared, taking the petrified Irei with him.

**oOoOoOo**

"Ref! I'm not sure that we're going to make it!" Kazuma exclaimed, trying to run as fast as he could. It was hard, especially since he had to weave through the trees. However, he refused to call a quits, knowing that lives were now possibly at stake. He may hate most of them, but he didn't hate them THAT much.

But that was not the only problem, there were three more to accompany it.

One issue was the fact that he had this putrid taste in his mouth, as if he had been ingesting toxic fumes and decayed cadaver's. That was not the worst of it, however, the next two by far outrivaled having bad breath.

It was his heart, rattling and thumping against his ribcage with a dull cramp; as though he had somehow pulled a muscle, right there of all places. The detective did not know whether it was from stress, built up aggression, or he was about to have a heart attack from sheer anxiety.

But the most worse scenario of it all had to be the voices that he was now hearing in his head, his psychic powers threatening to go berserk on him again.

"Of course we will." Came Ref's confident answer, who was running right beside him.

Kazuma looked over at him, raising a brow.

And then suddenly, without warning, The Prince of Hell snatched the psychic up right off his feet.

Taken aback by this, Kazuma frantically waved his arms as he fussed at him; "Wait! What are you doing?" Little did he know, that he would be totally unprepared for the answer he was about to receive.

The dark god then tossed him up into the air, causing Kazuma to scream as he soared above the ground and over the trees. But Ref leapt up after him in a flash, catching him in a matter of seconds, basically intending to mount the disconcerted redhead onto his back. He quickly wrapped the psychic's limbs around himself, clasping onto the backs of his thighs firmly, pulling the man's legs around his waist a bit tighter. His thick long and steely locks were perfectly out of the way, swooshing as they fell to the sides of his neck and face.

Kazuma could not refrain from turning red, feeling the power of the rippling muscle in the other man's long and slender body; the man's body reminded him of a snake and was built for the kill. Realizing that they were on their way back down, he then tightened his own hold on the raven haired man, clutching onto the clothes that covered his friend's strong chest.

The psychic squeamishly closed his eyes as the prince made his touch down, missing the sight of the impact it had caused, forming a creator in the ground before he immediately blasted off.

Reficul zigzagged through the forestry at an incredible high-speed, going literally Superman on the psychic with the whole "faster the a speeding bullet" aphorism, though comparing him with The Flash would be more accurate. Hell, the demon was lightning! Poor Kazuma could barely hang on, digging his fingers into black leather as he clung on for dear life.

Then again, as soon as his friend had started, he was already finished…beating the everyone else to the scene, just in the nick of time.

Talk about using the "the express way".

They had passed the other demons so fast that none of those who had saw them could distinguish them from what seemed to be a flash followed by a sonic boom. The mighty gust pushed most of the youkai back, way back, when the demon god literally barged right through their masses.

Ref's boots slid in the dirt as he "applied the breaks", gracefully whirling his body sideways for leverage, creating a trail of dust, smoke, and fire beside them as he at last came to a final halt.

The others, who were now outside and on their way to the temple, stopped momentarily to gawk at the pair.

Immediately sensing that the others were outside eyeballing him, Kazuma looked back at the group from the corners of his own, his muzzle pressed firmly against his companion's broad shoulder as he tried to calm his racing heart. He then flushed as he let out a muffled growl, feeling embarrassed by their stares. Oh, why did they have to look at him as though he The King of Weirdoes?

The Dark Prince flickered his tongue, appearing forked as he tasted the air; a simple instinct that had escaped his conscious mind. However, the psychic had not seen that.

Reficul turned a red-hot gaze towards the oncoming demons, sending them all an evil yet cocky smirk. His blacker than the night hair blowing in the wind, the strands wild and bewitching as they danced.

Shizuru gazed at her brother intently, sensing the inner torments that he was still under. His expression may be stoic, but she knew better than to fall for that trick. He was still offish. _"Am I going to lose my brother…?"_ She thought, feeling forlorn. _"…If he's not already lost."_

"Showoff." Koenma commented with a snort, glaring at none other than Reficul for the display. He detested how the deity could be such an arrogant swashbuckler, flaunting his abilities at any chance he could get…in his face!

Noticing that his rival had turned his attention to him, grinning like a total bastard just to spite him even more, The Prince of Reikai yelled; "YOU'RE STILL HERE?"

He received a boisterous yet diabolical laugh in return, the other Prince being a dick for the pure hell of it.

A few moments later, Hiei arrives on the scene, slicing through a few as he made his reappearance.

The tall god finally lets a fussing Kazuma down, complying to his fitful demands of being allowed to fight.

The two fighters prepared themselves for a fight, both drawing out their weapons and then posed into a proper stance. They stood beside one another, although the demon made sure to keep a mindful eye on the other swordsman.

Reficul, on the other hand, stood there with such a calmness that he appeared to be almost bored to tears. Needless to say, he was not at all intimidated by the snarling demons hurdling their way.

Kuwabara and Hiei charged, torpedoing as they attacked, clashing against the demons as they flooded into their territory. Their swords ripped and sliced through the masses like how a machete hacks through vegetation found in the most dense and darkest of jungles.

The dark god joined as well, of course, though he merely strolled right on in at first. Then, in a chaotic frenzy, he ruthlessly whacked and bashed into them, breaking everyone whom he came across into bits, as though the demons were merely an abrasive child's plaything. Needless to say, he was invigorated by the bloodshed.

The battlefield was becoming a bloodbath.

There were various types, though most were that of ancient breeds, ranging from insects, arthropods, anthros, and other creatures whose appearances would naturally give anyone the heebie-jeebies. In fact, none of them were humanoids, not in the least bit. And there appeared to be over a thousand of them. Worst of all, these monsters were notorious people eaters, scarfing down human meat like no one's business.

Something had to have waken them up, at least that is what came to mind by the over seven-hundred year old, Koenma Daioh. Normally, one doesn't see demons like these, especially during these days. Most had gone into hibernation along with the tengu, causing most of mankind to believe that they no longer existed, while others left to dwell in that creepy forest in Makai. There the latter subsisted until the end of time is finally at hand.

"Uhh, let's get into that temple, A.S.A.--" He did not finish the sentence, realizing that Kurama and the girls had left without him, the five dashing towards the sanctuary. He immediately paled, almost dropping the vehicle of his Mafukin technique. "Wait! Wait for me!" He turned and shouted as he then high tailed it after them. "HOW COULD YOU LEAVE ME BEHIND LIKE THAT?"

About his pacifier: He could very well use it, yes, but he did not want to waste the energy that he had been harvesting up inside it. Furthermore, it is a weapon that can only be used in the darkest of times. Unfortunately, his "jailer" technique was absolutely useless when trying to thwart karma beasts, which would explain as to why it had not worked on Sensui back when they were located in "Demon's Door". Alas, it only works specifically on demons and humans, hence why it is called a "demon seal ring"; made primarily to use against the strongest of S-classed demons, though with the exception of one particular god.

Then suddenly, a demon swam up through the air towards them to block their path, appearing ugly and wretched and could only be described as being centipede with a face similar to a lion's.

"I will eat your soul!" It declared, the voice sounding like a hacking old wench. These demons may know how to speak, but they were practically mindless, attempting possible dangers without thought.

The girls and The Reikai Prince screamed.

Kurama extracted his trusty rose whip from his hair and sliced the demon into clean portions; naturally, he was not as messy as the others.

A swarm of insects flew in to join the chaos, demon locusts double the size of the ones found normally in the human plane. Moreover, their faces were person-like, but had solid black eyes and revolving teeth of steel. These flesh parasites made matters all the more difficult for the fighters.

Then, one of the temple doors opened somehow, seeming mysterious until they saw a familiar hand waving at them from the inside. The girls and the underworld prince gratefully took the invitation, trying get there before the bugs could get a hold of them, though the door was only wide enough to let one person in at a time.

"Get in! Get in! Get in!"

Koenma tried to hurry the girls in, freaking out as the insects drew nearer. Fortunately, he escaped by the skin of his teeth, though Sun Wukong pulled the door shut onto the red cape attached to the Prince's robe. Listening closely, one can hear the muffle outcry of the younger deity from within moments later, grousing away as he struggled to pull his clothes free from the crack between the doors.

Kurama had not entered into the sanctuary with them, however. Instead, he had gone to join the others.

Kuwabara and Hiei were still cutting through the demons, the numbers now appearing to be endless. Just how many were in that forest? Tens of thousands? They just kept coming.

The psychic leapt up and flipped several times through the air, letting out a bushido yell as he headed back down, all the while taking his sword and slicing through several ferocious beasts. He quickly summoned another sword, now possessing one in each hand, and then began twirl himself around resembling the motion of a top, slaying the masses as he made his way through like a humanized mechanical saw. The latter was a new technique of his, though he had practice heavily to get a hang of it properly; the move enabled him to pick off his opponents like a game of Russian Roulette.

Hiei was merely taking them out one by one, using his Jagan Eye to better sense and track their every movements.

The two eventually bumped into each other, facing back to back. They glanced at each other for merely a second, before having to defend themselves from the incoming demons that launched at them both.

"Damn! There's too many!" Kuwabara declared.

"Oh, shut up and keep fighting!" Hiei shot back at him whilst he struggled to keep one pesky demon from biting his head slap off, his sword the only thing keeping them both apart. Once knew he had a good toehold, he then used his sword and one of his feet to push it back before scornfully blasting it's own head off. "Less it's too much for you to handle." He added the latter statement with a condescending smirk.

Kuwabara growled at him, not in the mood for his rude cynicism. He then combined his swords, forming them into single yet humongous spirit blade. He concentrated more of his energy through the weapon, then raised it over his left shoulder, releasing the built up force as he sliced downward in a parallel fashion. The power blasted a large sum of demons into pieces, who screamed and hissed as they disintegrated into nothing. There was enough energy for him to go around in a full circle, which he did.

The detective blinked moments later, surprised at what he had done.

"What the hell?" Hiei shouted, having witnessed the whole thing. Surreptitiously, deep down, he was relieved that he had not been caught in the midst of that.

"Uhh, I don't know how or why I did that." The taller man answered truthfully, not knowing how he had learned such a fierce sure-kill. He did not recall ever performing it, neither coming up with the move.

The fire youkai snorted at him as he sweat dropped. "Losing your mind, aren't you?" He deadpanned.

"BITE ME, SHORTY!" Kazuma barked.

Hiei merely harrumphed at him in return, which caused the psychic to grow all the more confrontational.

One of the larger centipede demons realized their distracted state, seizing the opportunity to gain the upper hand. It moved swiftly, wrapping it's long exoskeleton around the two like a constrictor. The two winced from the crushing pressure, the tips of the legs sticking them both like abrasive ice picks.

"You're very powerful for a human…" The demon addressed the psychic, moving her upper torso inward to inspect him. "Or perhaps you're a demon." She then took wiggled her feelers to collect information from his scent, touching his face in the process.

Kazuma shrieked as he wriggled wildly in her grasp, feeling violated by this whole experience. "Listen, lady! Let us go or else!" He demanded, then wondered if he should be screaming "RAPE" instead. His head began to seriously pound, feeling as though his heart had relocated itself to be inside of his brain.

Just for that, she constricted her body tighter.

Hiei growled at him for his idiocy. "Oh, yeah…like she's…going to listen to THAT bullshit." Came his snarky remark, all the while baring his demon teeth. "You're wasting your breath!"

The two tried to struggle free, futilely pulling at their trapped arms, and in the midst of it, argued like cats and dogs with one another about personal space. The centipede tightened her hold on them even further, and in a matter of seconds, the two began to scream in pain as they felt their bones about to crack, having the life literally squeezed out of them. Not only that, but they could not defend themselves well enough from the insects, struggling rigorously to keep them at bay by utilizing their own auras as a protective shield to thwart them away. …A mighty feat indeed, since doing that takes a lot of concentration.

Fortunately, it all came to an abrupt end. The centipede gave out a howling screaming, her upper body suddenly being cut in ribbons, though her head had been decapitated. Seconds later, her body quickly burned away, similar to a cigarette when it burns.

Both the psychic and the three eyed demon blinked in astonishment when the tension was gone, liberated.

Reficul appeared before the orange haired man, his red eyes shining like a booger while most of his figure was a bloodcurdling silhouette. He then snatched him up, moving him away from the carcass before the fire could manage to touch him. Once he had been removed, the process magically sped up.

In stark contrast, Hiei jumped out from within the coils, and just at the last-minute, too. However, despite what little relief he had received, he felt rather bitter towards the whole thing. Kuwabara better be happy that he had been saved, a moment longer and Hiei would have powered all the way up to rescue himself, taking out anyone who had been in the way of his demon energy.

Perhaps he was being a wee bit too spiteful there, but this was Hiei and Reficul was Reficul. They could easily have an understanding between each other, but certain factors prevent that from ever happening.

The dark god sent him a piercing look, his red orbs burning brighter, resembling two Christmas tree lights, and his form turned completely black. Daunted, Hiei slid away, backwards.

Kurama leapt down right beside the fire demon. "My, my, Hiei… What did you do to earn _His_ attention?" He inquired, swatting at the much smaller airborne demons with his whip.

Currently, the four were in the eye of the storm. There was still plenty of demons, though all of them were making an effort to not go near their god any more than they should, their ravenous appetites being why they were foolishly still there. The beasts were encircling them like fish around a baited hook, waiting to pick them off at any opportunity that may present itself.

"I exist." Hiei replied dryly, then flicked a demon insect off his left shoulder. He then wondered to himself if he should have stayed on patrol in demon world, at least there he got the respect that he deserved.

Not knowing anything else he could say, the fox remained silent.

"You stay here." Advised Ref as he placed Kazuma down.

The psychic rubbed his head as he looked up at him with one eye open, still feeling that insufferable pulse, though now it had died down. Still, all these demons and their thoughts and emotions were about drive him buggy. He felt disgusted by the detailed imagery they were sending him about how they were intending to eat all of them, let alone picking up their hatred and malice.

He also felt a bit light headed, too, perhaps because he had not eaten for at least two days straight. Nevertheless, despite all of that being true, his body began to repair itself at an astonishing rate.

Reficul stepped away from him, only stopping when he was a good eight feet away.

He cocked one of his eyes wide open while the other appeared squinted, remaining half shut. His blood red orbs burned with craze. He raised his arms at a gradual pace as he began to power up, releasing this dark energy as he did; though everyone in the vicinity felt promptly sickened by it. His trench coat floated upward, appearing somewhat similar the wings of a large bat. The air around them became rigid and thick, his hair seemingly alive as it became animated, appearing like black flames. The shadow beneath him expanded outward in the shapes of numerous prehensile forked-like tails.

The beastly demons turned their immediate attention towards him, having enough sense at least to be horrified. Kurama and Hiei took the initiative to get away as far as they could, getting the hell out of there. Kuwabara merely stared at him, engrossed by wondering what was happening and how his friend turned the ground beneath them solid black, grass and all.

Countless numbers of eyes then appeared upon the Dark Prince's body, reminding any onlooker of the fire demon's true form. All creatures of fire had this unsettling attribute, just like ice demons are always cold. In fact, all fire demons originated from hell. However, the god was not green, not even remotely close to that color, instead he was as dark as the night. How the eyes appeared through his clothes, however, was a mystery all on its own.

His coat drifted back down, though it remained afloat, the tails waving in the air. An insane expression formed upon his countenance, appearing demented like raging lunatic.

The Prince of Hell brought his arms down, though elbows bent with his forearms extended outward, and his fingers curled.

"TRY NOT TO RUIN MY LAWN OUT THERE!" Sun called out from a window, observing the whole thing as the demons tried to flee.

However, it was an endeavor that proved to be futile, for Ref had summoned up a barrier to keep them there, right where he wanted them. Some of the demons burned themselves while pushing against it, like mosquitoes hitting a bug zapper. Fortunately, Kurama and Hiei had made a safe getaway, though the same could be said for over half of the demon insect population.  
Kazuma looked around frantically as he beheld the atmosphere around him grow quickly dim, hearing this peculiar loud groaning sound as the light from outside was taken away.

His body now outlined in a brilliant red, emitting a dull droning tone as it did. More sets of blood-shot eyes appeared, though this time upon the now blackened barrier walls, and they were all gargantuan in size.

He then dropped his arms and hands in an elegant fashion, only to snap them back up, to which when he did it was akin to pulling the trigger on a gun. The demons all combusted into flames, wailing out in both agony and terror. Their bodies fell into pieces seconds later, falling on the ground all around the psychic and the god of demons, though the bugs themselves imploded.

The detective was petrified, feeling as though he was trapped in one of those grotesque horror films. Sure, they're awesome to watch, but living in one of them was an entirely different story.

Some of the insects clamored at their god's feet, graveling before him, pleading to live. He was not "Lord of The Flies" as just merely by compliment, and they knew that if they didn't try that they would cease to exist.

However, Reficul was not a man known for having mercy. So, it came to no surprise to any demon that he burned the pests all away into cinders.

The psychic stared, astounded by the actions of both those demons and the taller man. Who was this guy that even the demons prayed to?

Soon the nightmare had finally drawn to a close, as abrupt as flicking back on the lights. The containment field vanished in a flash, the shadows retreating back to their owner.

Kazuma stared at the field around them, there appeared to be nothing left of the demons in sight. No carcasses, no bones, not even a speck of blood or trace of energy could be found anywhere. It was like the place had somehow been swept clean. And all he could hear was silence.

Ladies and gentlemen... What the hell just happened? Where had all the demons gone?

His freaky friend had completely obliterated them, that's what!

Then suddenly, he heard the sound of someone applauding from behind them.

Kazuma and Reficul turned their heads to gaze back, only to see that it was none other than Sensui.

**#4#5#6**

_"Isn't it tempting?_  
_The matter and the flesh_  
_Isn't it charming?_  
_Can't you see who I am?_  
_I am your angel_  
_I am your angel_  
_Of the dark"_

_"Do you know me by my name (by my name)?_  
_Lucifer your angel (of sin)_  
_You have made me who I am (who I am)_  
_I am the light bringer (your_  
_dearest angel of sin)_  
_Do you know me by my name?_  
_Lucifer that brings the light"_

- Power Symphony; "Lucifer"

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

And yet, here's another small chapter. Sorry if it's choppy and such. Augh. It's hard to write certain things.

This chapter probably could have turned out better.

Lid: Yes, I know. People are reading the story, I suppose… But how else would I know if I'm keeping people's interest or not? It's hard for me to keep writing when the readers don't seem to show a response. For all I know, a lot of people could very well hate this fic. Sorry for my insecurities, but they are there. Also, to answer the rest… Damn, you may have caught me red-handed. Although, I am putting hints here in there in this story… Truth is, they will eventually become closer. However, as for the two actually developing a relationship beyond that of friendship… I don't know. We'll see where it goes.

Anyway… Thank you all for reading. Please review or comment.

**EDIT:** I decided to add the battle in this chapter.

Oh, and about the previous chapter... I am sorry if it had offended any of you. Both Yusuke and Kuwabara have changed, taking separate paths in life. Yusuke has changed, yes, but as for how much... Mmm. He's more demon-ish than ever before. Poor guy, I suppose... I mean, one can't help who they are and that Mazoku blood coursing through his veins can make him be such a jerk (more than ever before). He did not try to abuse Keiko, because quite frankly it was not in any of his attentions to. He's a demon. Simple as that. And it's finally dawning on Keiko that she may not want that... She misses the man she fell in love with, not who he's become.

Or is it that? Who knows... Maybe something is up... I won't reveal anything...


	21. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

Hurray! Sensui makes an appearance finally! He's my favorite villain character in all of YYH.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**THE MESSAGE**

_"So glad to see you well_  
_Overcome and completely silent now_  
_With heaven's help_  
_You cast your demons out_  
_And not to pull your halo down_  
_Around your neck and tug you off your cloud"_

_- A Perfect Circle; "The Noose"_

**oOoOo**

Then suddenly, he heard the sound of someone applauding from behind them.

Kazuma and Reficul turned their heads to gaze back, only to see that it was none other than Sensui.

"Stupendous! Magnifico!" The angel cheered.

The psychic turned around and growled, gnashing his teeth as his face twisted in repugnance. That bastard was just standing there, clapping his hands in amusement over the whole scenario that had passed.

Then all of a sudden his face fell, his eyes threatening to bulge from out of his skull…

The former detective who had been known as "Black Angel" looked almost the same as he did when he was facing Yusuke, that is, except for a few of minor details… He was much younger in appearance, as though somehow the years had reversed themselves back to his teenage days. His olive skin was now also flawless, the masochist's scars were nowhere to be seen. And his smooth ebony hair was now much longer, ending at his thighs midway, and was slicked back away from his face, save from that one wild strand extending from his widow's peak.

An unbuttoned white trench coat was warn over his shirtless upper body, it was long in length, past his knees. That's different. Since when was Sensui ever known for wearing anything white? Although, his relaxed fitted pants were black, and he wore a pair of black and white boots that matched.

Okay, the changes weren't all that subtle, but he still seemed…remarkably human. Moreover, he appeared to be amazingly calm, his sapphire eyes serene as the night sky. He did not possess the face of a heartless killer. But the psychic knew far well that this face was merely the cover of the book, for he remembered that the contents inside were very much frightening.

While the detective studied the foe from head to toe, The Prince of Hell had strolled up to stand beside him, eying the angel with the look of unbridled intent.

"Such a grand yet artful display of power and brutality can only come from The God of All Demons." Sensui proclaimed with a tepid smile, giving Reficul a pointed look while stressing the title.

Reficul returned the gesture with an insidious stare, his face around his eyes still hooded in shadow.

The angel then finally finished his prolonged applause. Well, it lasted longer than enough, that's for sure.

He then mentally noted how the dark god was better at scare tactics than the Prince of Tourin; who looked too much like an angry obstinate child rather than appearing full-blown fierce and dangerous, which often caused most of his greater enemies to not to take him so serious. Yes, The Prince of Hell was far better at the game, a true contender. The look he was receiving was unnerving, as though the god could make his explode right off his shoulders at any moment, appearing parallel to those evil children from the American movies "Village of The Damned" as they made their way inside of other people's minds.

The orange haired man's eyes had widened after listening to the statement. "…God of…All Demons?" He echoed as he turned to stare at the taller man, transfixed.

He had heard of there once being Three Kings of Makai, however, he had not yet learned about their being a god of demons, and neither of the demons from his past had spoken of him. Weren't they suppose to know that they were governed by their own god? And yet, the demons behaved as though they were of their own, utterly godless with no higher power to turn to except their own. Frankly, he was flabbergasted.

The dark god looked down at him, his irises of blood gleaming. "Yes, I am."

Kazuma blinked several times as his face lengthened, becoming longer as he pursed his lips. Well, that made sense, and a lot of it. In fact, it brought a brighter light to the picture. The look of shock was more profound now as he tried to compute this tidbit of information.

"Truly, it was a spectacular sight," Sensui continued. "And to think that I finally had the privilege to see it with my own eyes instead of merely going by rumors."

The once considered dead man attentively watched the two, already fascinated with how the redheaded spirit detective and the dark god had easily formed an alliance that was quite uncanny by the average eye. An original odd couple, although awfully familiar…enough to evoke glimpses of a distant past.

It seemed to bring him back to his own days when he, too, once served Spirit World…when he had first met Itzuki. Little did he knew back then that his stalker would one day become his best friend, and then finally his eternal lover. Itzuki was as loyal as he was devoted, supporting everything he ever did and then some. The teal haired demon was like a puppy, always following his master wherever he may go. And he loved him despite everything he was and everything he had put him through. In fact, their relationship had never been made official, and still is not this day.

The others had by now stepped out of hiding, though kept quiet in order to hear what was being said to the two.

Sensui then turned his attention towards them.

He noticed that three out of nine were obviously afraid of him, sensing the fear rippling off of their rigid bodies in waves.

The two demons, however, had such serious looks upon their faces, their bodies tense. The fire youkai's expression was that of pure hatred, while the King of Thieves was cold and deadly. Apparently they had not forgotten about his motives that could have ended human world, though he assumed it was more than that; i.e. the fact that one of their friends had once died by his hands.

His eyes then landed on Irei, focusing on the child a little while longer than he had on the others. He knew immediately what she was, her spirit signature clearly giving away her identity. Like him, her biological father had also been an angel. Such romantic encounters were like a ghost in the night, the men leaving women with nothing more than a special gift to forever remind them of the one night affair… Their spawn.

Karma Beasts can't afford to remain in touch with the ones they love, cursed to live a lonely existence. They are perpetually doomed to only remember the times that had been, to watch, and to philosophize about what could have been only to be contradicted by what can never be. Humans today refer to them incubuses, an ugly name with an ugly reputation. Devils only have their children, looking for the day when they would soon join them on The Other Side. However, conceiving children with women outside their species is rare. In truth, the first of their kind were all male, and yet, having female offspring is still extremely rare.

"KAZUMA KUWABARA!"

The one whom he beckoned jolted where he stood, the man's heart throbbing, palpitating; like someone racing the motor of their car while it was in idle. His eyes dilated, his body possessing a solemn demeanor. After a calm yet simple blink of his eyes and having quickly gathered his composure, he donned a more serious expression, becoming picturesque with mankind's vision of what befitted the Grim Reaper.

"Why aren't you dead and buried six feet under?" The psychic hissed in disdain, his orpiment eyes flashing with danger.

Sensui saw this, yet, he sustained his course. "I can understand your contempt against me, Kuwabara." He expressed with a simper. "I am sure you're heart's brimming over with belligerence. But I can assure you that I come in peace…that is, for the time being."

"If you're looking for Urameshi," Kazuma gnarled back at him, quickly drawing out his weapon. "Then you're in for one hell of a disappointment. However, allow me to settle the score once and for all!"

Sensui observed with intrigue, impressed with the psychic, noticing how extremely little to almost no concentration whatsoever it now took for the man to form the blade. "Put away your weapon, boy." He informed. "I've come not for him, but to speak with you."

The answer surprised the detective. He grew strikingly leery and all the more tense, refusing to let his guard down as he stood his ground.

"I'm sure you're sick of everyone here undermining you." The angel spoke, his tone of voice like a man who speaks to his lover. "But don't fret, I promise I won't treat you the same way."

Kazuma tried to read his mind, but instead he finds a wall, a mental barrier that prevented him from passing. Whatever reason this guy is here, he hoped it wasn't because he wanted to ask him on a date. Why did he always attract the creepy and unsettling or the evil guys? Why not anyone nice or normal?

[_No, he attracted people like Ani and these two guys right here. But they weren't the only ones, sadly._

_Back when he was still in love with Yukina… There was once a youkai who's persona was unconventional, for better words "raving mad" and dangerous, who had tried to force him to be his lover. The nameless man stalked the psychic during the whole tournament, that is, until he had at last kidnapped him in order to force him on a date. The guy was very unrelenting with his demands and declarations of love, so much that it was unpleasant. He kept asking him if he loved him, pressing the issue as to why they should be together. Disturbingly, his physical attributes oddly reminded him of Karasu, as if the demon had returned from the dead, IF that was ever possible. If you think that is bizarre, it was Yomi who had saved him, because the others had not even thought twice about his disappearance. But how Yomi found him, he did not know. And the reason as to why he even looked for him raised similar hair-raising questions…_

_What did these men possibly see in him that others didn't?_

_He always assumed that Kurama would be the one they would most likely prefer, whom people often made assessments about the other redhead being his girlfriend by the way. It was like statement about people having radars being true, picking up sexual orientations on the fly._

_His mother had always said "The apple does not fall far from the tree", which also including one's attraction factor. But what the hell? Out of his mind he was, yes, but not insanely evil._

_Back to focusing on Sensui…_

_Everyone claims that Urameshi had saved him when "Black Angel" had possessed him within his clutches, but that was false, far be it from the truth. The ex-detective did not save him, instead, he had been set loose a moment before the real fight initiated. If he had truly saved him like everyone mentioned, then he would have fought for his freedom. And no, they weren't all taken as captives, however, they were forced to not participate in any of the action. Furthermore, when Urameshi had came back from the dead, he seemed to be more interested in fighting rather than everyone else's safety._

_Of course, he had not thought much about it then, more than happy to see that his "friend" was alive and well, but now… That all had changed. One thing's for sure, Urameshi's attitude towards him had quickly cured him of ever caring about his well being. If you think that he had forgotten how the half-breed had nailed him hard in the jaw, using an uppercut punch just to shut him up, then you're sadly mistaken. And let's not forget the times where the punk would trip him off his feet, all just to see him come crashing down. And yet the man has the nerve to cry or pout whenever his jokes backfire on him._

_To make matters clear, Yusuke had lost a good friend and that friend no longer cared about how it was now all over between them. The song "I Don't Care" by Apocalyptica was played time after time, for him._]

"I must say, dear boy…" Sensui continued. "You amaze me. I've always known that there was something special about you, right from the start when I first realized you possessed the Jigen Tô. Truly, only a special psychic can possess such a grand tool of destruction."

Kazuma furrowed his brow at him, wondering as to what he was now getting at.

"With it, not only can one slice through dimensions," The angel enlightened, putting it all into picture. "But if utilized in self defense, it can slice a person's soul in half…killing them instantly." He paused, grinning to himself when he saw the look of shock and horror upon the psychic's face. "If you were to slice into someone, it would permanently damage the soul of whomever you used it against."

The look on the others' faces behind the two was priceless. They had not once considered about how potentially lethal that the weapon was until now, only having gone by what they had seen. After hearing that, however, they could clearly see how messing with the psychic could prove to be extremely deadly.

"Holy…! Kuwabara's like the Grim Reaper!" Koenma stated out loud. "That weapon's a scythe in the form of a sword! …But how? It doesn't make sense!"

Botan looked over at him, intruding on his moment of revelation. "The Grim Reaper? Sir, I don't possess one of those! In fact, I don't ever recall any of the other soul reapers owning one either!" She exclaimed, becoming a bit too melodramatic over the matter. In truth, she was rather indignant. All she could summon was an oar.

The others were just as bewildered as she, the girls and the three men looking towards the underworld deity for an explanation.

"Yes, well…" The Reikai Prince cleared his throat. "The Grim Reaper possesses a very powerful weapon, a scythe. Legend has it, if The Grim Reaper ever removes a part of a person with it, it can never be put back. No doctor in this world or in any other can repair the injuries, not even a healer like Yukina. It's lost forever."

His friends instantly grimaced, becoming somewhat pale at the thought.

"Actually, Koenma. In it's genuine form, it is a scythe." Sensui corrected, having overheard their conversation. "The dimension sword is merely a beacon of what is to come, the scythe in it's earliest form… In essence, like a baby on it's way to developing into an adult. Although, the Zetsumei Ken does have various forms for the wielder's own discretion."

"Which explains as to how it can cut through dimensions." Said Koenma, now reflecting on the moments when his friend made use of the weapon. "Only a scythe can have that potential. Not a sword. But why would someone like Kuwabara be gifted with a weapon at that caliber? That weapon has the power to blast a hole through this world into the next!"

Hiei stared at the male psychic in silence, feeling quite uneasy as he recalled the incident when facing the demons the other man had encountered. Was the weapon that the orange haired man had used the very same thing? Somehow, he could not bring himself to doubt it. And it disturbed him so. If the psychic wanted to, he could very well play god…because being Death was being God.

As for Kazuma, he was utterly speechless. He stared down at the golden blade, a weapon that he had formed from his very own aura. He could not believe how he managed to obtained something so special yet so severely dangerous. If truth be told, it was though his trusty weapon had betrayed him, showing it's true face for the first time. It did not feel so noble anymore… In fact, it befitted more on the lines of being a curse than a gift. The weapon made him a potential threat to all life around him.

And here he had been striving so hard to be more than merely a psychic with a sword, learning both alchemy and witchcraft to help step him up the latter. …But now, he apparently had a sickle instead. A bloody scythe from hell. He was devastated, because the details given unto him had obliterated his belief of him being a true swordsman. He really was beginning to honestly feel as though he did not know who he was anymore.

_"Shuichi…"_ Yoko spoke to the redheaded fox. _"There's only one person I know about that can wield such a formidable weapon…"_ Though it was a mental conversation, his tone sounded grave and wary.

_"Who?"_ Kurama questioned, but kept the conversation silent, between them alone.

_"…His name is Samael."_

_"Akuma?"_ The answer sent a wave of shock, which then coursed down his spine as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. _"If that's so…then…"_ He eyed the detective, his stomach churning at the possibilities that crossed his mind.

_"He could be… Then again, maybe this is all just be a coincidence, a god wink. One can't be too sure. …Perhaps this is merely a sign that he's qualified for the job after all."_ Kurama tried to dismiss the notion, since it was far more easier to believe differently. And above and beyond, one needed concrete evidence. Going merely go by assumptions will not cut the cake.

The psychic being a monster, a wolf in sheep's clothing, did not seem at all likely. It was just not feasible, not to mention impossible for him to wrap his rational mind around an idea that was entirely ludicrous. Why, Kuwabara was more human than anyone else he had ever known.

_"You know better than to judge a book by it's cover… And de-nial isn't only a river in Egypt."_ Yoko reproved, clearly disappointed with his other self's recent lack of better judgment. _"You do your best to keep your guard up while you're around him. I refuse to pay for your mistakes."_

_"We'll see how right you are…"_ Kurama countered. _"In due time."_

_"So he's death."_ Reficul contemplated, finding sense in the discovery. _"Which would also explain Kaguya's ability to perform necromancy."_ It did not surprise him in the least, although the more he got to know about his mate, the more he reminded him of his mother.

"I'll give you the opportunity to face me fairly…" Sensui continued, going back to the reason why he was here in the first place. "If I see you've improved enough, I'll face you… One on one, in a display of contested strength and power. Perhaps by then, you'll find what you're looking for…"

That caught the psychic's immediate attention. Did he honestly know what he was looking for? Because right now, he wished someone would tell him. He was confused, more so, he was downright lost.

But the answer he did not receive. At least not the one his heart was now searching for. Silence.

Reficul sensed the change in his mate's spirit, the man's soul was breaking again. …This made him furious! He growled as he gnashed his teeth, all the while turning his gaze back towards the angel, sending him an absolute look of cold-blooded murder. The dark god was literally blowing smoke out his nostrils.

Sensing that he was in immediate danger, Sensui quickly took off into the air as fast as could. Once he came to a certain yet reasonable point, he halted and then hovered above them. His actions were quick, as though made in a flash or a blink of an eye. Again, his intentions of being present there was not to dispute or wage war.

"Wait! How is he flying? I see no wings on him!" Koenma shouted, shocked that the angel could manage to possibly float without any method of propulsion; like using one's spirit energy to levitate as some demons do for instance.

The Prince of Hell snorted at him. He obviously had absolutely no experience with karma beasts whatsoever. Not like being up there would save him anyway, because quite frankly he, too, could take to the skies…and rip his cowardly hide into pieces.

"To answer your question, Koenma." Sensui lectured at him, his voice loud and clear. "Angels can fly, some can even while their wings are folded away, concealed from sight. Think of it as manipulating gravity in the field around you. Spirit wings, if you will. Or if you prefer a far better comparison, our ability of flight is similar to that of stars in space."

Kazuma grunted as he looked sternly up at the angel, irritated. So, the enemy could fly above their heads like a jet. This was not good news, since that meant he could very well avoid assaults upon his own person, and yet at the same time unleash aerial attacks of his own. Achieving victory would be a piece of cake for the psycho.

It seemed the odds were stacking up against him, one after another.

"You've improved so much sense our last encounter, Kuwabara…" Sensui said, now talking to him. "One can only imagine how you'll be when we meet again."

"Easy for you to say, you bastard." Kazuma snipped up at him, quite cross and indignant. "Refrain from taunting me, or else I'll get a gun and shoot you down myself…to which then I'll personally bury you alive, so that your soul may at last rest in pieces!"

His "friends" stared at him out of sheer astonishment, stunned to have heard such malice coming out of his mouth. Sure, he had made threats before, even messages of foreboding doom, but none to that extent. Seriously, that was someone's soul he was talking about. …And now that they knew he possessed a scythe, well, it made such an endeavor all the more possible.

Reficul, on the other hand, grinned at fondly him. He was proud of him, to say the least.

"I intend to see even more great things to come from you." Black Angel continued, purposely ignoring the threat all together. He knew that the detective had a long ways to go, besides learning how to harness his weapon's true power and potential. "Don't worry, I'm sure your boyfriend will lend you a hand."

When hearing that latter statement, the psychic's complexion had at once turned a bright shade of crimson, appearing cherry red as he began to trip over his tongue for words to combat against that assumption.

"If you truly wish to face me…" He continued. "You must come find me in London, England."

Kazuma's optical orbs bulged as his mouth dropped off his face.

London? How was he going to do that? It's also across the other side of the world, crying out loud! He did not have the money to pay for that, let alone spare any expense since he had rent that was due every month. How he managed to live or even go to school was beyond him, always having to scrape for every dime he owned.

…Besides, of all places, why there and not somewhere in Japan? He didn't doubt that the angel was intending to send him on a wild goose chase, all for his own sick amusement.

…Or worse, he had an even more sinister motive up his sleeves. The psychic shivered as his guts churned, sickened by the thought of being cornered by the guy, trapped like a rat that had been ensnared by the promise of free cheese. However, the end results probably won't be any different from their last encounter, the one that had been a little over eight years ago. Much to his dismay, the horrific visualization he had was unbearably lucid as it was vivid.

He was not the only one disturbed by this mandate, his older sibling had turned the whitest shade of pale. She was though a living ghost amongst the group. The others were simply confounded.

"I'll give you a month, until then…" Sensui instructed. "Train, become stronger, and advance your skill and techniques. And one more thing, see if you can decipher this; _The bird of Hermes is my name, eating my wings to make me tame._"

The curly haired detective knitted his brow at him. "What the hell?"

He read about this before, happening to have come across it in one the man books he had purchased from a Mom and Pop store that sells ancient artifacts and uncanny literature. So, it was not like he had never heard of it before, more like he was surprised that the devil had brought it up.

From what he could decipher, the bird of Hermes was a powerful and deadly creature. The bird was depicted to be that of a phoenix, which not only associated with the dead but also the sun, though namely when the star becomes blackened by an eclipse. In other words, the bird was any ordinary phoenix but a dark phoenix; extraordinarily appearing like a swan that was the color of a raven but was made out of fire.

Statues of such a creature can be found the temples of ancient Greece and also at cemeteries, denoting that this was a bird of the underworld and of the realm of the dead. And the nature of the beast was described to be chaotic, a bringer of destruction, painting the world in a slurred red as it unleashed its fury upon the world. In short, the bird also represented the apocalypse, "Judgment Day", or "The End of The World". So, not only did it represent the dead, but it was death.

Moreover, the quatrain that had spoken of such a feral bird also symbolized freedom. Without feathers, the bird was tame and under control. Still, without those feathers, the phoenix was powerless, even incapable to defend itself. However, because of this, the world was at rest, knowing that they had much longer to thrive and live.

But if the bird ever manages to obtain all of it's feathers back, the results would be entirely devastating. So make no mistake by knowing that this terrible beast was no Puu, completely far from it, for all intents and purposes, the complete opposite. Furthermore, Puu was blue and he possessed the powers of lightning; which was more similar to a legendary Thunderbird than an actual Phoenix.

Funny, sliding off that trajectory for a moment…

Now that he thought about it, the name "Kuwabara" was actually used as a chant to repel lightning. And if he could recall correctly, Urameshi's ancestor was known by the other demons as "the lightning god", which is what Raizen literally means. And by the sound of it, that dickhead had inherited those powers as well. Maybe that was the reason why, that no matter how hard the dark haired punk would try to beat the crap out of him, he still managed to live through it like it, bouncing right back up as though it had never happened…

HAHA! Now, that's irony! Urameshi was powerless to keep him down! …Well, at least permanently.

Kazuma was becoming rather giddy by the mere thought of it. Which reminded him, he seriously needed to beat his head in…for various reasons, of course.

"Oh, and please tell Yusuke Urameshi I said hi."

Kazuma groaned dourly as he rolled his eyes upward towards the back of his sockets, his moment of glee spoiled. Figures that he would want to bring HIM into this.

"Also, when the time comes, I'll be coming for the baby, since she'll be better off with me."

When hearing that, Irei's eyes immediately grew three times their actual size. Sun Wukong continued to hold onto her, for dear life if he had to. He did not like the overconfident tone that the angel had used, as if taking her would be an easy accomplishment; excuse this mode of expression, "like taking candy from a baby".

The detective face faltered, but only moments before his expression then contorted, becoming wrought, scowling malevolently as the whites of his eyes then darkened considerably. "Over my dead body, you are!" He yelled in a harsh tone, his voice rasping around the edges of his words. He readied his sword once again, prepared to launch an attack if necessary. He began to power up, his spirit energy whirl pooling around him.

He did not care if he was being obstinate. He meant what he said, dammit! No one touches Irei without evoking his wrath.

"Ahh, it appears that I've at last pressed a button." Sensui taunted, grinning down at him. He mindfully jotted all the information down in his memory bank. "Until we meet again, ciao." He said with a salute, then turned to leave. ...More like fly away, actually.

"HEY! WAIT A COCK-PICKING MINUTE!" The detective shouted, then quickly dropped down to his knees. He spat on the ground, then slammed his hands against it, all the while exclaiming a few cryptic words that sounded like utter gibberish. It was witchcraft combined with alchemy and his own spirit energy.

He manipulated the ground beneath them, using sheer will of the mind. The earth shook phenomenally as a colossal pair of hands suddenly sprouted out, bursting forth like a butterfly from within it's cocoon. Though made from sand and rubble, it was sturdy, reaching upward to grasp onto the enemy.

His old friends observed the whole scene as it unfolded. They could not refrain from gawking, suffering from a concoction of both fear and awe. A mad rush of adrenaline was pumping into their veins, their hearts accelerating at the drop of a hat as the "fight or flight" response immediately kicked in, and yet, despite that, they found themselves almost paralyzed. In short: They were stupefied, so much they were doubting their own eyes.

Kazuma controlled his creation as though they were extensions of himself, their movements were fluid as water. From the larger set of hands, smaller limbs extended, forming more ways to try to latch onto his target.

Koenma almost wounded up dropping his pacifier for the second time this evening. "…Since when did…Kuwabara learn to do…that?"

"He's an Hogosha. A guardian, or more preferably…a protector of the people." Shizuru answered. After having noticed their inquiring looks, she continued; "They are an elite breed of psychics in my family's clan, who also happen to possess mind-boggling capabilities, like their use of performing magic… Quite naturally, as though they themselves are made of magic." Her voice had weakened, fading down into almost a whisper. She then tittered, her words trembling in this latter statement, giving off peculiar airs as though she was ashamed of something terrible; "…And amazingly, he's the family heir."

The girls and Underworld Prince were speechless. Surprised to know that Kuwabara's lineage was more noble than they had once surmised.

Koenma groaned moments later, thumping himself on the forehead with the use of the base of his palm. "Crimeny! Serves me right… for never having looked at his records!" He then turned his attention back towards the detective. "…But I can now see perfectly clear…as to why my father hired him."

"But don't you dare tell him, okay." The female psychic warned, mustering up enough bitterness in her tone in hopes to scare them to swear to keep it's secrecy.

And it worked, quite successfully, though they could not understand as to why Kuwabara wasn't allowed to know. Apparently, the effort of keeping such information hidden must be worth it.

Kurama sighed inwardly, feeling somewhat relieved, her words dousing those fears from earlier on. _"Well, Yoko, looks like you were right about one thing… He IS an heir, though not the one whom you were insinuating." _The demon within himself said nothing in return.

Sensui avoided being captured, evading shifting sands. He kept dodging every attempt that the psychic made with his abilities, moving swiftly in the air. _"He may be considered an expert on hunting down demons, but he's still got a lot to learn."_

Kazuma tried to keep track of his foe's actions, all the while taking more sand from the earth and stretching his limits as far as possible. Moreover, he tried to keep up with him, chasing after him on foot like he was the man's shadow on the ground.

Then suddenly, and as if on cue, one of Itzuki's abysmal portals opens up right above him; which was perhaps what he had been waiting for, no doubt. With quick haste, Sensui leapt backwards into gateway and immediately disappeared from sight. And likewise, so did the portal.

Not at all pleased with his enemy's escape, Kazuma let out a profound yet vicious growl, which transformed into a roar as he began to seethe. Instead of sulking over fiascos like some people, he reviled himself for his failures. His failures were evidence of his weaknesses, which only concluded as one thing, the answer to it all…that he was still too weak!

Worst of all, Sensui had been playing with him, making him appear all the more of a fool.

"I WILL WIN!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, screaming upwards into the sky in a booming voice. His own way of telling the universe off.

Reficul appeared, standing a several feet away, watching as the object of his heart had suddenly became deadly silent. It was a frightening silence, another calm before the storm scenario. Or perhaps, maybe, the eye of the storm itself. Either way, silence from him was _not_ golden.

The others stared over at the orange haired man, who stood a great distance away from them. Koenma and his team were, more or less, flabbergasted by his sudden outburst and contempt. It was though he had snapped again, on the verge of spinning out of control. To make matters short, they were beginning to really wonder if they even knew who he was anymore, especially after today's chaotic events.

**…TBC..**

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**Author's Comments:**

Man, this chapter reeks. Sorry for the long wait. Damn writer's block. The next chapter, when I get to writing it… Won't be the next day. Not yet. Kazuma isn't finished yet, just know that.

Gliyh: Oh, thank goodness someone understands. Yeah. It's a bummer. I don't know if many do understand. Seriously. Reviews simply tell the writer that readers are still interested. If no reviews, then why bother writing the story in the first place? I'm sorry that has happened to you. That's a real bummer. It sucks. I always review every story I read. If I haven't reviewed, then I haven't read it. Oh, and thank you for telling me you love the story. It means a lot.

KM17: Thank you! Thank you very much!

Okay, that's it for now…

Please review or comment. Again, it feeds my inspiration, like fuel is to a fire.


	22. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**THE WRETCHED**

**[An Overview: What Is and What Is To Come]**

_That day had sparked a new beginning for our team, but unfortunately this flicker of hope had ignited a fire. One could indefinitely say that by trying to repair the severed ties within their bond was a suicide mission, and a certain psychic was the one responsible for foiling their attempts, crushing their hearts as the blood of their friendship rained down upon their souls._

_He was not at all like Yusuke, though one should not expect him to be. Though their Mazoku had indeed changed, one could easily beg to differ and point out that his changes were only slight; metaphorically, the size of a dust molecule. It did not take a rocket scientist to know that the Tourin Prince was a self-centered, selfish, crude, rambunctious, and immature douche. Honestly, he could prove to be one ugly S.O.B., a real "nitwit" as Genkai had called him. Nevertheless, he possessed a good heart, human, demon or otherwise. Even though he now had demon blood coursing through his veins, he was still a remarkably good soul. It was his demon nature that caused the humans to fail in their efforts in trying to understand him…_

_Which was why Keiko's and his relationship was not going well, in fact, it was crashing and burning. Everyone makes mistakes and life is like the sea. Though it may be true that opposites do attract, but if a pair doesn't share a number of common interests, then the relationship will not progress. …Wherein lies the problem. Keiko and Yusuke did not possess mutual interests, let alone the fact that their personal dreams and pursuits did not correspond with one another's, both heading towards different directions in life. Their efforts to make it work was now proving to be as tedious as it was strenuous. Inevitably, they would eventually come to terms with it and call a quits._

_It was Kuwabara who had changed, and quite considerably._

_They had expected things to turn out differently, much differently. It was a vision of their taller friend, whom they believed would rush towards them with open arms, delighted to see them once again, greeting them all with a playful smile, and embraced each of them with such a profound warmth and love. Then once after being happily reunited, they would perform idle chit-chat, catching up with each other , comparing notes, and as well as discussing about the times they used to share. And maybe, just maybe, there would be a few asinine ramblings coming from the man, followed by his goofy laugh._

_But instead, they had received the cold shoulder from a man who was now practically a stranger. All that they had once known him to be was now a faded memory, the new him burning away the cloudy image that was once etched into their hearts._

_He had became distant, reserved, and unfeeling towards them…_

_He was pushing them away, untouchable and unreachable like the stars, and unobtainable like the wind. What was once so very warm had became a biting winter. What was once light was now darkness. And all color was departing from the pallet of his being; aka his character._

_Moreover, he was as serious as a train wreck. He possessed a somber air, haunting eyes, and the hollow soul of an lamenter whose theme was a funeral march. Pretty much, he had attained the personality that frankly reminded them of an undertaker._

_It had been a grueling five long years since they had last heard from him, and yet they had not made one attempt to establish any sort of contact during that duration of time. They had squandered their chances, and now it was going to leave a nasty mark, like hanging from a noose with the Devil biting your ass._

_Perhaps, all hope is truly lost. Make no mistake, they had screwed up big time. And now they were surely going to pay the price, the consequence of their actions._

_He was once the glue that held them together. Sadly, they never told him that, that the whole team depended upon him to keep them together. Without him, everything fell slap apart._

_It was a conceivable concept that an invisible force had stepped into their lives when they were at their most vulnerable, attacking on what mattered most. It was feasible to believe that, that something had lurked within the shadows, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. Bad karma and negative forces had beaten them all to the punch, it seemed, long before they made their move to intercede, smashing their hopes of rectifying this dilemma…_

_Someone or something had to be held accountable._

_Then again, maybe they were looking for far too much. After all, they pushed him away first. Though, if only it had just been that alone._

_He forced them to wrestle against their thoughts, their egos refusing to recognize and accept the blame. In reality, they were the few cog pieces, the gears that had helped driven him into this hell. But they believed that it had been his decision, since free will guarantees a choice of which road to pick in one's life. He believed that, once, but unlike them he had been proven wrong and had learned the hard way._

_He fought a good fight. He tried so hard, but it seems that destiny had other plans. Fate exists, no matter how hard one denies it, and it was the karma beasts who worked behind the scenes._

_Anyway…_

_If they had only known what their actions were doing to him all the years they've known him. If they knew that the feelings he now possessed would get him thrown into a cage._

_For the first five years, he had waited hopelessly, alone in the world with no one to talk to...and no one would listen to him. His heart had broken in vain countless of times, but none of them had taken notice, neglecting his needs for they were too busy satisfying their own._

_Standing inside of himself, rotting away, and coming undone at the seams. What was once beautiful, was now ugly, broken, twisted, and estranged._

_Irei knew, with her special eyes she could perfectly see one's inner self. His soul bared the most wounds. Blood seeping out of myriad holes, tears, and gashes, scars ripping open, festering, and over the heart was an expanding cavity. Words were etched in the flesh, as though carved with a knife; holding meanings that were vulgar if not obscene. The meat hung off the bones, the skin was sallow and yet tarnished; black, red, and blue, singed and decaying. Eyes punctured out, black with flowing crimson rivers, and lips that appeared to be once sown shut, with remnants of wire to be seen in the corners of the oral cavity. His morbid appearance spelled tragedy all over._

_The human in him was dying and in a ghastly way._

_He was wretched._

_No one loves The Wretched, it's a wide known fact._

_Enemies had played with his head, toiling with his emotions for sport, and treating him as though he was an insignificant creature. …But so had they. Worst of all, everyone had blamed him for not being strong enough._

_He kept their lives so carefree, and yet, in return he was considered to be a liability, treated as though he was the problem. And every time they pushed him down, the rage would start to build inside of him. But they kept putting him down, despite the pain they saw in his face._

_He knew that they intended to hurt him, because people don't normally do things on a daily bases without some sort of intention. Actions speak louder than words, but their actions were no better than the utterances that spewed from out of their mouths. The last two years he'd been with them were the most excruciating. _

_It was clearly apparent that he was the third wheel, the spare... _

_[To paint a clearer picture, he thought of it this way: Imagine if the world was ran by demons, though not modern style but imperial, with the humans being known as the lesser species; thus the latter are slaves or peasants. Yusuke was the hero, the beloved "king" and the hope of the world. Kurama and Hiei, however, were "nobles"... But if you know your history correctly, nobles in medieval times were often bandits, though unlike those beneath them they could get away with just about anything, including murder. And Koenma was the Pope. As for he himself, he was the court jester, the lowliest member of the court and the entertainer who had been taken in by the King despite being hated by mostly everyone else. In other words, he was the obnoxious buffoon whom everyone believed to be a brainless lump. And being "the jester" of the group, he had to endure harsh mistreatment, ridicule, and neglect. His duty was not only to entertain the king, but occasionally the masses as well, although his job was to make the King look good.  
_

_...But there were sides to the fool that people failed to see, however, because clowns are more clever than they appear. And behind all that humor lurks something dark and malignant. Truly, you have to be utterly MAD to play such a degrading part._

_In Tarot, "The Fool" is the first card of the Major Arcana. The tarot depiction of the Fool includes a man, (or less often, a woman), juggling unconcernedly or otherwise distracted, with a dog (sometimes cat) at his heels. The fool is in the act of unknowingly walking off the edge of a cliff, precipice or other high place. Another Tarot character is Death. In the Middle Ages Death is often shown in Jester's garb because "The last laugh is reserved for death." Also, Death humbles everyone just as Jesters make fun of everyone regardless of standing._

_...Kazuma owned a deck, by the way.]_

_...And that they no longer found use in him. They no longer desired to have him around. _

_Remember, actions speak louder... And their's was screaming at him to go away.  
_

_Everything was spinning._

_The world around him took away something from inside him, sucking the life out of him, and replacing it with a brewing endless hate._

_Oh, make no mistake… If there was anything he had left to give to them, it was hate. Complete unadulterated odium. And it shined in his eyes, revealing the red hot fury that burned within his soul._

_Fortunately for them, he was consented on avoiding them as much as possible. Because if he didn't, he would break._

_…_

_"**You can tell they're not regretting having hurt you. They regret doing it to your face.**" Came a condescending voice, entirely his yet different and so out of character._

_..._

_It goes downhill from here.__  
_

**…TBC…**

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**Author's Comments:**

Sorry that this was so short. I was going to have this in the beginning of the next chapter.. Or the end.. But I decided to post it by itself.

Again, sorry. Hopefully I will get to the next chapter soon.

This chapter gives a behind the scenes look, or a peak of what's going on inside...

As it says in the brackets, "What Is and What Is To Come". It's a little peak into the next chapter, really, which I hope will have more dialogue than inside thoughts or perceptions.

EricaAuksi, Kinnys, KuwaMikey: Thanks for the comments! I appreciate them SO much! And wow, I didn't think it was that great.

PTyT: Thanks for the comments… And to answer your question, well.. We'll eventually get to that point. For now, the others don't know. You'll see what happens in the next chapter.

Please keep reading and keep reviewing!


	23. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**DIRTY HARRY**

**_"You were not loved. …Love only yourself. Fight only for yourself."_**

_"It won't come to that. I could never… As long as there's still life in me, I will never permit myself to be that way."_

**_"…You don't belong with them…never had, never will…"_**

_...  
_

_By chance of whenever he dreamt of them, which these days was a seldom occurrence… He saw them for who they were, revealing their true nature._

_But strangely, in these dreams, he realized that he was rarely ever in them… Unseen, as though he was not there. And if he was, he was never with them, their presence absent. Moreover, in these nightly vision, there was something he could not place…_

_His identity, as though it had been erased._

_No mouth, no nose, no eyes, nor any distinctive features, only shadow._

_He was faceless._

**oOo**

_"Bound at every limb by my shackles of fear_  
_ Sealed with lies through so many tears_  
_ Lost from within and perusing the end_  
_ I fight for the chance to be lied to again_

_ You will never be strong enough_  
_ You will never be good enough_  
_ You were never conceived in love_  
_ You will not rise above"_

_- Evanescence; "Lies"  
_

**#1#2#3  
**

The day was steadily becoming dimmer, the light gradually dissolving as golden rays furled like clawing fingers raking the land, which had latched onto the opaque silhouettes, stretching the shadows into otherworldly shapes; like a confectioner's taffy puller. The sun was setting over the horizon. Though silent, it was the color of rage, and was fighting like a prisoner in chains. Creeping over the sky's shoulder was night's presence, with a twinkling luster of diamonds and a sphere which resembled half eaten cheese.

The very remainder of the sun's light had melted away before a particular duo would head back, reunited with the others back at base.

Inside Sun Wukong's home, the others had gathered into the main room. The Underworld Prince and The King of Thieves were conversing about certain matters, debating an important factor that regarded the case.

The two were sitting across from each other, ingesting lukewarm green tea, sipping it gingerly from small bone china cups. The teakettle rested upon a pillow, while the saucers were set upon the floor beside them.

"…There's no doubt about it!" Koenma exclaimed as he placed his beverage down. "Sensui is The One. He's the guy we're after, the one who's been hibernating for all these years!"

Kurama failed to agree with that assessment, though not entirely. "How do you know that for certain?" He inquired, quirking a brow at him before he took another sip.

"Well, Kurama, it's obvious…" The prince countered sourly, frowning at him for his criticism. "Hello? He's clearly The Thirteenth member!" He emphatically pointed out. "And Lucky Number Thirteen is believed to be their Prince!"

"You're just speculating." Kurama indicated in a calm tone, still filled with obvious skepticism. He set his cup down upon it's saucer. "Besides, how do you even know that he's a Seraphim?"

Hiei rolled his eyes, watching and listening to the whole thing from where he stood, leaning up against the wall four feet away from where they sat. He found their discussion to be incredibly senseless.

Who cares if Sensui was "The One"? Not him. The guy was just another opponent, another thorn in his side. He found none of this to be important, trivial would be the proper word, and yet, everyone was making such a huge fuss about it, even those fools in Makai.

Ugh, it was hell of a lot worse there than anywhere else. Mokuro had even sent him out to scope out her territory for probable traitors, taking him off his standard duties for something even more obtuse. He was supposed to be looking for humans, not these devils or those who serve them. In a nutshell, this whole upcoming war was messing everything up, making living conditions unbearable and ridiculous. To live and remain unperturbed in demon world was now practically impossible, period, what with everyone stirred up.

[_From what he had heard from Mokuro, Yusuke had been three times busier than the last time he returned to his kingdom. With preparing for battle and being forced to go to meetings, he also had to assist Enki in securing their world._

_However, Devils weren't the only trouble._

_Word has it, Yomi hasn't quite given up on his dreams as he had proclaimed seven years ago. And they suspect that he may very well be one of the prime suspects, committing the unpardonable act of treachery against their kind, and all for the sake of receiving a slice of the cake when The Devils come into full power. However, they had no evidence to prove it. Nevertheless, Yusuke, Enki, and Mokuro were watching their backs as much as possible._

_They were exceptionally suspicious with his recent visitations with his father, Charon, the demon who escorts spirits into Hell. He had not spoken with his father in years, and everyone in Makai knew how much the denizens of Hell supported The Devils._]

Not that he cared…

To be straightforward, he could care less if the worlds ended or not.

On the other end, Koenma refused to let up on his side of the case, believing what he was saying was entirely valid. "Pardon me for my current lack of faith… But Sensui is known as Black Angel, after all. The word "black" denotes "death", and the Seraphim are the ones notorious for causing death, fluttering through the worlds for the purpose of ending the lives of mortals everywhere." He clued-up. "They're death dealers, using the powers awarded unto them by their Master to do his bidding of ridding the world of those whom he finds unsuitable to subsist! And they only leave their Master's side to kill people, and I'll have you know that they're quicker than lightning when it comes to committing such heinous deeds."

Kurama's breath hitched in his throat, distressed by the details.

"Don't you consider it to be fishy…" Koenma continued on, interrupting his friend's thoughts. "That after he rose from the dead, then reveals himself years later the with The Devils, who are now at our throats for complete world domination?" He snorted as a thought occurred to him, then added; "Can you believe that they still keep claiming to be the sole rulers of the universe and everything in it? How preposterous!"

"Listen. All that I am saying is that you're rushing to conclusions." Kurama opposed, putting the discussion back on topic. Although, the irrefutable answer that he was about to give was quite disturbing, even to the likes of himself. "Think about it, would they send their own Prince to do the work of a servant?"

The prince was silent for a moment, though not necessarily for the effort of considering that objective to be conventional. On the contrary, he shot daggers at the fox, sending him the most aggravated glare he could muster, obviously offended by his statement…and for good reasons as to why.

Kurama held up his hands apologetically, realizing the mistake he had just made. "Sorry."

Koenma swished his pacifier to one side of his mouth and then blew air between his lips. Sadly, it was not the first time someone had forgotten his royal status. "Regardless of what point you're trying to get across… It doesn't excuse what we already do know… Which is, he still avoided his sentence; an eternity of punishment. And let's try not to forget that he attempted to destroy the world once." He dragged his palm down his face, wrestling with trying to keep the last drop of his patience, finally getting sick of having this conversation. "Shinobu's still a wanted man. His desire to end the world alone is valid proof enough. Furthermore, he's the promised one who betrayed me, just as prophesied. ...Angel plus fallen equals fallen angel. What further evidence do you need to prove that I'm right on the ball with this one? He's obviously the raven in that absurd quatrain." He murmured the that last line.

"You mean The Dark Phoenix." The fox corrected, then picked up his cup to finish off the remainder of the tea.

Koenma groaned. "You know what I mean. …I opt we call it a long-necked crow, since they are notably messengers of death. Or better yet, a black swan…which represents traitors, the occult, and The Devil. " He stated candidly, not giving much thought about what he was saying as of the moment. He was just talking from the top of his head.

"Koenma…" Kurama spoke as he stood up all of a sudden, his abrupt actions consequently catching everyone's attention.

The prince's brow furrowed at him, wrinkling the letters upon his forehead slightly. "Yes?"

"I need to leave for demon world."

His answer took the demigod off guard. "What? Why?" He inquired, wanting to know exactly why one of his best men was so urgent to go there.

"Because I must of think Yukina's safety first." Kurama informed. He was still very obligated to take care of Yukina; as had been stated in the deal he that had made with Hiei. "It's no longer safe for her to remain in this world, and with the recent updates on security in demon world…she'd be much safer there."

[_By demon standards, he was a hired ward, though in human world he played the part of a husband. Concisely, the two were not lovers as people understood them to be, on the contrary, he was her protector. When it came to the meaning of love, the koorime was a wet match in a dark cave. Even so, the two had developed a strong sibling-like bond, though his heart sometimes told him otherwise._

_But considering his friend's schemes, had often made him wonder as to why the stunted fire youkai desired so much to get Kuwabara away from Yukina; as far away as possible. Was the effort really all that viable? In the past, he wondered if the demon had another motive, something he had yet to expose._

_Hiei didn't really despise the orange haired psychic that much, did he? Kurama believed he didn't._]

"Not only that," He continued. "But I need to speak a few words with Yusuke. …And maybe also pay a visit to an old friend of mine."

The girls exchanged glances with one another, the four of them wondering who this other "friend" was.

Koenma blinked at him for a moment. "Oh. In that case, you're excused." He then pointed his finger at him as he added his own demands, right onto the list of reasons for the redhead's departure. "And while you're at it, tell him to get his fanny to return to human world immediately! Pronto! Do that for me, okay?"

The fox sweat dropped. "I will try." He answered concisely.

"If he doesn't want to fight," Koenma spoke up again, clearing up meaning behind his request. "At least he can come to see his friend. It would be only right, if he did." …Apparently, he had a change of heart.

"Well, this has been an eventful day." Shizuru quipped sardonically under her breath.

"I'll say." Botan chimed in with a sigh.

Just then, they sensed that Kuwabara and Reficul had finally entering the premises… Well, most of them, anyway. Being the only average human in the group, Keiko couldn't sense anything to save her life.

The duo's energy rippled through the place like a stone dropped into water, casting tremors and waves.

The gang listened for the sounds of their footsteps, using their ears to tell them exactly where they were heading off to. The thuds of clicking drawing ever near told them that the two were heading their way. The both of them were unusually silent.

For a moment, the noisy footsteps came to an instant halt, right at the entrance… But then, suddenly, the door was swiftly slid open, causing the group to jump; namely the girls.

It was one of those traditional sliding doors, the kind you slide back like a screen.

And there stood one somber looking Kuwabara, staring at all who were within the room; minus Sun Wukong and Irei, who were currently not there amongst them. …If looks could kill, his certainly would. He appeared as though he was about to murder all whom he happened to lay his eyes upon.

Mind you: Being trained by an ancient CHINESE Martial Arts Master who lived for years in Japan, he had the potential of being as deadly as Bruce Lee, Donnie Yen, and Jackie Chan. He knew Kong Fu and Wushu, but also was skilled in bujutsu, most definitely in kenjutsu and battojutsu, and a bit of ninjutsu; the latter still needed much perfecting. He also needed more training in laijutsu and laido, which is approximately "the art or science of mental presence and immediate reaction".

As code, he used his acquired skills only when necessary, keeping it professional. And unlike Yusuke, he was an extremely hard worker and very focused yet entirely devoted on achieving his goals.

If they had known better, which they obviously didn't, they could tell that this had been a set up. The ape-like deity from China and the baby Hone-onna were not present in the room for a reason, which was unknown to the rest of them. The two were actually in the corridor outside the room.

Kazuma calmly entered the room at a dawdling pace, with Reficul right on his heels, who had a freshly lit cigar protruding from between his lips.

The ones who were seated decided it was now time to stand up, not really feeling comfortable, especially now in the dark god's company.

As on cue, as though he could smell the stench of their fear… A slow, wicked grin spread across his roguishly handsome face, the butt end of his cigar clenched between his sharp teeth, now appearing quite wolfish and fiendishly sinful.

Shizuru, who possessed the greatest gall they've ever known, went over and bopped her brother's arm with the back of her hand. "Looks like he came to you, Kazuma, instead of you finding him." She spoke coolly, referring about Sensui. She did not really mind Ref at all, though she did keep an eye on him. "Again, for the second time in your life."

"How does that make you feel?" Koenma flippantly remarked, have a shot at tease him for old time's sake.

He and the remainder of the group, not including Shizuru and Yukina, tried to restrain their sniggers. But in a matter of seconds, they failed to resist, their chuckles and giggle escaping through their lips.

But that riposte was uncalled for and their actions went over the line.

Unexpectedly to them, Kuwabara remained ever silent. No bellowing, no tantrums, no sarcasm, not even producing a single growl. He was stoic, his face empty, utterly expressionless. Deadpanned. Moreover, there were these shadows around his eyes, appearing more like smudged eyeliner and eye shadow rather than bags; a weltering smolder of charcoal and rust combination.

Right now, these shadows appeared to be darker than they were before, giving him a more overcast exterior. The only good news, perhaps, was that it brought out his orpiment irises.

The Prince of Hell growled darkly at them, distributing them a look that said "_you best become silent and not utter a single syllable, if you know what's good for you._" And they would be wise to comply.

They immediately shut up.

The dark god purposely blew his cigar smoke towards the demigod's direction, who in response grimaced as he tried hard not to gag, futilely fanning the fumes away from him. …Well, it could be worse…a lot worse…

While puffing on a cigarette herself, a gentle smile graced Shizuru's lips, liking this man's style. It was certainly something that she would have done, too, if given the opportunity. No doubt her father would get a real kick out of him.

The King of Thieves had an eerie yet nagging feeling that something was wrong, his own senses picking up an enormous amount of energy swelling from within the orange haired man, and yet that power was entirely imperceptible to his trained eyes. His keen sense of smell caught a light yet unusual odor, a barely noticeable stench that was akin to the dank air found in a crypt.

Hiei was getting the same exact thing, which is funny since he possessed more psychic abilities than the fox.

Likewise, the others were undergoing something similar. They felt sick in the pits of their stomachs, but tried to push that awful feeling aside. Perhaps they, too, could pick it up, though their senses did not enable them to put their fingers onto whatever it was.

The air in the room became dreadfully heavy, then tension thicker than a morning fog. The male psychic, on the other hand, seemed to be savoring this moment for all it was worth, even though he didn't show it.

Not being able to bear the relentless stare-down of their lives, the gang decided that maybe it would be best to depart from the room.

The psychic narrowed his eyes, his first sign of regaining emotion, already knowing precisely what they were going to do before they even made the slightest move. He could hear their inner machinations, let alone read their body language.

However, as they began to leave the area, they would soon find themselves unable to go anywhere. Suddenly, various symbols appeared as the room was engulfed in a golden glow, which spread from the doorway, to the walls, up the ceiling, and across the wooden floor. In the doorway itself, a screen of energy appeared, the electric waves rippling through the barrier guaranteed its strength and power.

No one dared to pass through, let alone even touch it. Make no mistake, they had stepped into one of the detective's traps, which was definitely something he might have used in the past to help him catch dangerous apparitions. In other words, it was a containment field, or more suitably, a "cage". And the only one who can enter and exit through it is him, the caster.

Oh, yes, King Yama knew of this ability, which was another reason granted as to why he hired him.

His old friends were absolutely horrified, clueless as to what to expect next.

As you would expect, the detective had never evolved this technique, particularly using this skill to keep his targets isolated in one area. This made his job much easier when fighting demons and malignant ghosts who entered the homes of people who they besieged upon, all for the sake of feeding off their energy, fear and pain. Also, he only set the trap off if it was needed.

They should feel fortunate that he doesn't intend to seal them away inside of a mirror… Though there weren't any mirrors in the room itself, and finding a mirror to fit them all into would be rather difficult to find anyways.

Kazuma had anticipated upon these fucked up feelings again, though this time he had been stricken with an unusual luck of feeling the pain fading, but the torment was as strong as ever. His stomach was a hollow pit at the mere thought as he remembered everything they put him through.

As always, he kept his true emotions on a leash.

He had strived so hard to get where he is now, worked his hands to the bone. He strived his damned-ness to prevent himself from having idle hands, between work and keeping busy, even if it meant that overworking himself would be the cause of doom; of course, this had provided some definite dividends. He wanted to erase everything, but couldn't so he had to push it all away instead, but now it was back to haunt him. They were all back to haunt him.

When will this end?

If they think they can just make amends with him, then they had another thing coming. He was not going to let bygones be bygones, having had enough of their poisonous deceit. For the past ten years, he felt like an utter fool inside for having just dealt with it. No, this time he was for real, refusing to buy into their games any further.

No more plastering on fake smiles. He didn't need to be consoled by any of them, much less by his own sibling figure, and neither did he intend to listen to any of their compromises that they may lay at the alter.

He may still be a high-strung space-case, but he wasn't that stupid. As it so happens, he possessed more sense than that arrogant fool, Urameshi.

However, there was one thing he did not quite understand… He ran away, but they still stayed. For more than five years, and now they were silently admitting that they had been lonely? Cogently, coming to terms with them was surely the lesser of two evils, dealing with this case being far greater opponent.

He had been finished with them, all of them, and he was long gone. But now that they were back, though they came for him at much later time than he had anticipated, which made such matters all the more vexing if not just plain hurtful. But this time he wanted them to be the ones to go away.

He was sick of this, sick of this pain, sick of walking on the wire for their amusement, sick of all this hiding from the things they say, and he was sick of them. He did not want this. No, they forced him into this, forced it right on him; like driving a stake through his heart after they had placed him in restraints. He wanted to find a better way, but he was trapped and could not get away…not this time…

No. Enough was enough. He had been tip-toeing over eggshells for quite too long.

"Listen and listen closely, because I'm only going to say this once." He spoke in a low tone of voice, sounding so unusually calm that it took them all aback. "…Things can never got back to the way they were."

"What are you implying, Kuwabara?" Koenma asked, eying him carefully, hoping to see an indication that all of this was some sort of a joke. A sick joke, but a joke nonetheless.

He had heard from Kurama once of what he pulled on Yusuke after they fought the Saint Beasts, pulling the ex-detective's leg as he pretended that both Botan and Keiko had perished in the onslaughts of violent chaos that demons had caused. So naturally, he was looking for something similar as that.

But unfortunately in this state of affairs, Kazuma was being entirely serious.

"We can still work together to save the world, but I can't promise you that we'll be friends." He answered, his words stabbing like cold steel. "At least not close friends, anyway."

A certain fire demon could not but smile, seeming amused by how things had turned out. "I see that the years have caused you to finally wise up." He stated, sounding quite impressed, which shocked the rest of his group. For the first time, he sounded as though he respected the psychic.

Kurama snapped his head towards his direction, giving him immediate attention. "Hiei."

"Spare me the lecture, Kurama." The demon retorted, not liking the chastising tone that his friend was using on him. "If you were in his shoes, wouldn't you feel the same way? For once, I agree with him. He's doing the right thing. Only I would never trust a soul to begin with."

"So, you're a risk taker." The fox scathingly, frowning at him.

"Funny, I should say the same for you." Hiei countered back.

Kurama's frown deepened, now practically scowling. "Touché."

Botan stared at the two, shocked to say the least. She had not ever witnessed them fight or argue about anything, that is, until now. She could not tell whether the dispute between them was friendly or not.

Koenma made a face at the demons, looking anxiously at the two as if they had both sprouted another head upon their shoulders.

"I will admit that shorty there has it better than the rest of you." Kuwabara added. "At least he never pretended to be my friend. The asshole's feeling towards me were always genuine. And I can finally say I respect him for that."

That took them all by surprise. Hell, Botan appeared as though she was almost about to faint when hearing that statement.

Kuwabara then gave a very pointed look towards a certain demigod as he continued; "And as for you Koenma… If you wish to stay on my good side, you better start showing me some respect."

The Underworld Prince stepped back, taking what he was saying as a threat.

Seeing his response, Kazuma tried to rectify and make it more clear for him. "I don't hold much against you…" He informed. "But I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk so badly behind my back."

Koenma gave out a sigh of relief, then nodded in agreement as a weak smile formed upon his countenance.

"Also, if I were in your boots right now," The psychic continued, giving him a word of advise. "I'd reconsider what I've been saying. Do you honestly wish for Yusuke to be here right about now?"

He decidedly used the ex-detective's first name instead of his last, the first sign of showing them that he had lost his respect for the man. He was not using it on friendly terms, he would assure you. The others were astounded by this, too, especially with the way he stressed the pronunciation of the name.

"Think about it," He said, highlighting the consequences. "If he was to find out about how Keiko could have gotten hurt, let alone the fact that you had dragged his girl into this mess, …your ass would be grass. You'll be beyond knee-deep in shit, my friend. Think about that. Because right now, as it already is, you're nearing shit creak."

The Reikai Prince's expression revealed that he knew the detective had very well hit the nail right on the head with that one, now appearing very stressed as the color drained away from his face. He should have thought about this earlier, but he was so inclined to rehire his ex-detective that he did not think matters more thoroughly. Not that he could rehire him, since that was forbidden by his father... But still, he needed his help. Hell, the world needed him! ...At least that is what he thought.

Botan cautiously walked over towards, going at a snail's pace. "What about me, Kuwabara? Am I still your friend?"

Kazuma watched her for a moment, his silence sending the girl on the edge of uneasiness. "Of course." He finally replied, speaking in a placid tone. "That is if you still want to be."

Pleased to have received such a positive answer, her face lit up with great delight. "Super! That's wonderful to hear!"

"And as for you, sis…" Kazuma said, now addressing his older sibling. "You are my blood. And blood is thicker than water. You will always be my sister no matter what."

Shizuru's right upper lip curved slightly, sharing a silent understanding with him.

His eyes then landed upon Yukina, who stared at him, a veil of sorrow gracing her delicate features.

He did not bother bringing up anything about her, the reason why is because he could not bring himself to. There was so much to say, so much on his chest right there and then, yet…he did not have it in him to do so. He could tell her, "the past is the past, you're forgiven", but he knew that if he did he would be lying. There was so much hurt, so much pain, even after he finally realized he no longer loved her. Yes, it would be best if he did not say anything at all, which he didn't.

He moved onto other matters, much to her discontent. She felt ignored, though she figured she had it coming. It was quite the contrary, of course, since that had not been his intentions at all. But really, she did deserve every ounce of pain for having leaded on like she did.

Besides, she was not going to stay here much longer... And he knew that.

"Furthermore, I'd like to enlighten you all with a few things…" He pressed on, turning up the heat just a tad. "So far I've been falsely accused by demons to be a demon hater."

Both Kurama's and Hiei's faces faltered all the more when hearing him say that.

"I've heard the rumors," Kazuma divulged. "Caught wind of them during my stay in Makai, spreading through the plane like locusts on a heyday. I'll have you know, that is far from the truth. Another lie that has been spreading like the plague is my disposition on sexual orientation. I respect everyone's decision in whom they choose to love, whether it be male or female. I am not a homophobe, as that jackass Shishiwakamaru insisted. In fact, if I were… That would not make a lick of sense."

The others wondered if he was joking at first, after all this was the man who had persistently claimed to only liking girls, but that unsmiling expression upon his face told them otherwise. All their eyes grew wide, jaws slacked, with Hiei being an exception since he practically deadpanned at the hint.

"Laugh and I'll kill you." Kazuma stated flatly. "I'm not putting up with people's shit anymore. I'll never be a fake to the people whom I love, but I'll never show you the real if you make me hate you! I can't be a fake to myself, not anymore."

"Speaking of that fool, Shishiwakamaru…" Reficul spoke up all of a sudden. "I intend to break his scrawny little neck whenever I see him. Not just because of what he has done to him, but also for copyright infringement. Certain claims of his will cost him dearly."

The psychic raised an brow at him.

Kurama, Hiei, and Koenma were the only ones who knew exactly what he was referring to.

One of them was the acclaimed "Cage of Hell" maneuver. Shishiwakamaru not only tried to copy that attack, but also gave it the same exact name. The real attack, however, in it's true form performed by the one who originally created, was the incident that had unfolded several hours ago that had taken down the rest of the remaining demons.

The "Chorus of a Thousand Skulls" and "The Shrill of The Reaper" were also taken, though the first attack originally was not from that of a sword, but summoning the nastiest of souls Hell's darkest pits. As for the second attack, it was achieved by his voice. Those names that Shishi had given were from word of ear, since the dark god rarely ever gives such attacks a name. Still, there was no way around it, he was just a copy-cat with an over inflated ego.

Also, calling one's self a reaper of anything like it was yet another offense. Remember, the dark god's mother is "The Goddess of Death". In general, it was just plain mockery for the demon to take his mother's work in vain like that. The Devils could, however, do whatever they pleased, since they were the forces of karma, the fates of this world and of the next… But that demon had no excuse.

With Hiei's thievery and Shishiwakamaru's lousy imitations, one could see perfectly why The Prince of Hell despised demons so much.

Fortunately for the curly haired psychic, he picked up the information needed from the three's thought processing, which enough to give answers his questions.

"This is going to be a warning." Kazuma continued, narrowing his eyes, his face darkening with a glint of ominous danger. Those orpiment eyes of his flashing, burning with that fire they had seen before.

The old gang backed up, some even wounded up huddling against each other. For most of them, this was their second time seeing the other side of this man, and needless to say, it was scaring the crap out of them. Even Hiei was apprehensive, who had not seen this coming. He literally ran behind the others, using their bodies as shelter for the sake of hiding himself. Moreover, the tea cups and the kettle were vibrating, jingling as their specific parts clanged against certain surfaces.

Strike the chords on the organ, if you will, and play an alarming tune.

"I wish you all could have stopped complaining a long time ago." He said, his voice deepening. "Now I will go wherever, because I want to get my right place in my life. I'm ready to fight, come hell or high water. And this is going to be the last chance, for you, for everything. All of your excuses are not going to work anymore. Don't treat me as though I'm an brainless dolt, a half-witted ninny who doesn't know what he's doing… I'm not a stubrag. And I am no longer following anyone's schemes to lead me somewhere wrong…"

He then tilted his head down slightly, giving him that sinister hooded appearance. "Let me give you a tip: You are on thin fucking ice, my dear chums, and you will be under it when it breaks. …A mulberry is a tree, Kuwabara's a man… And that man has had enough. I'm no longer going to prove shit to you."

They swallowed a breath in response, but said nothing. They were too afraid to speak, several of them were even trembling and Koenma almost pissed his pants. Kazuma was really raking them over the coals.

"And also, take Misses Uremeshi home." The psychic stated, fitting the lines of being more of a command than just telling them off. "She doesn't belong here. And neither do you, sis. Go home, the both of you, before one of you gets seriously hurt or ends up dead."

The girls just stared at him, finding him to be unbelievable. One thing's for sure, he was as blunt as ever.

"And finally…" He reached the climax, finally, turning up the heat all the more in this already steaming pot of stew. "As for Yusuke. He's on my permanent shit list. Our friendship has come to an end, terminated. He's not my best friend anymore, and perhaps never was. I should have stopped caring when he did, but I was a fool for believing in something that was never there. All it ever was, all he ever felt for me…was pity. Right from the start. I see that now. My only regret is that I was too blind to see it then. After he realized he was a demon, his true face showed." He paused for a moment, taking in their shock; amazed if not disheartened by his confession. You must consider that he was speaking about the man whom they claimed to love. "What he's done I can never forgive. And don't expect me to, either. This joke has ran it's course and has been pushed way too far. I'm not his side-kick anymore and neither do I wish to be treated as such. He can suffer the consequences when he returns."

"But Kuwabara…" Botan spoke as she stepped forward. "What about the times you two shared? The things you've both been through together? You two stuck beside one another, closer than blood-brothers."

"Yes," Koenma agreed with her, though he was obviously more distressed by this than everyone else in the room. "He's done so much for you! He even put his life on the line just to save you, don't you remember? Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Kazuma's face darkened. "No. You're wrong… He didn't save me. He failed." He countered back, his voice low. "Too late to do anything. …And the same goes for the rest of you."

The two gawked at him, uncertain as to what he was talking about. Kurama, Yukina, Keiko, and Hiei were just plain speechless. Shizuru, however, was the only one who knew.

Reficul focused his eyes intently upon him, sensing the negative energy now emitting off of him. He had not been there that day, sadly, thanks to having to deal with important business; which was something he had regretted, especially now. He tried to mentally caress his mind, to not only soothe him but also coax out answers. However, the psychic was guarding his mind, preventing anyone from entry. He could not even get a sneak peak. Access was totally denied.

The dark god tried to keep his composure, his mind reeling at the possibilities of what had went wrong. All he knew was that he wanted to kill somebody, whomever was responsible for his mate's sufferings.

"The good ol' times mean nothing to me…" answered Kazuma. "Gone with the wind, and I don't mean the book."

"What's he talking about?" Botan inquired, looking to and fro at her friends for any possible given answer.

Shizuru twitched, but said nothing, restraining herself from saying anything crass to her.

Koenma opened his mouth to blurt something out, but then decided to snap his mouth shut. Not like he had the correct answers anyway, his own self going by merely formulated hunches.

"We were never meant to be friends…" Kazuma explained, trying to make sense of his decision for them. "Destiny's ruse, from the moment we stepped on the stage. The cards of life that had been dealt had intended him and I to never be. As fate has it, we're meant to be rivals… to always pit against each other, till one of us wins the game… Its been one of the Universe's grand schemes, all along, and its sole desire is to keep it as such."

"Listen to yourself…" Koenma tried to advise, thinking that perhaps his detective was now really on the verge of losing what logic he had. "You're not making any sense."

The psychic gave out a harsh bark of laughter, the very sound of it was fairly callous, which took the others completely off guard. "You can take that to him." He said, giving a pointed look towards Kurama's direction. "Tell him everything I said, because I want him to know… Tell him that I also want him to know that I wanted him to know. And if he ever decides to show his face, I want him to know that I'm prepared to wipe that smug grin off of his face."

Seven pairs of eyes expanded to the size of saucers, though they should have seen this coming. Leave it to Kuwabara to still want to fight him, but make no mistake, this time it was entirely different. Yusuke was now his enemy, again.

The fox demon continued stared at him, then gave a single nod. Nevertheless, he was practically astonished by him. Not only because he threw away a very valuable friendship, but also because he could not understand how Kazuma knew about his return to demon world. The man was not even present when both Koenma and he had that little conversation. He could not wrap his head around it. Either he was a very powerful psychic, or someone had told him.

Yusuke was going to be devastated, no doubt.

Kurama dreaded seeing him like that, shoulders slumped and crestfallen. As he could recall, he could not remember his friend ever losing a friendship, at least not during the time he had known him… Which meant that this could be his first time, perhaps in a long while. Already, just by thinking about it, he was really reluctant to break the news to the Tourin Prince; the half-breed fighter already having enough on his plate as it is.

"I'm blowing out the candles now." He began to close up. "And saying good-bye to all who decide to leave and never return."

After having said that, he folded his hands together over his mouth, both of his index fingers pointed upward. He then whispered a word, his as quiet as a phantom, which thereby relinquished the barrier.

They stood there silently, their bodies stiff as boards, only moving their heads to observe him leaving the room, and to which then the china finally stopped clattering. Reficul followed him, of course, like a creepy stalking puppy, giving them all a searing looking as he did.

Normally, Shizuru would have hounded after her brother for behaving in such a way towards them… However, she couldn't. Not this time. She never felt so discouraged, so lost, and yet so powerless to do anything.

Her brother had changed, but like he said, there was nothing anyone could do to fix it.

**#4#5#6**

_"I watched you change_  
_ Into a fly_  
_ I looked away_  
_ You were on fire_  
_ I watched a change in you_  
_ It's like you never had wings_  
_ Now you feel so alive_  
_ I've watched you change_

_ I took you home_  
_ Set you on the glass_  
_ I pulled off your wings_  
_ Then I laughed_  
_ I watched a change in you_  
_ It's like you never had wings_  
_ Now you feel so alive_  
_ I've watched you change"_

_- Deftones; "Change"_

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

Sorry for the long wait, again. I've not been feeling well to be honest. But as promised… I finally got to the long awaited confrontation that he was supposed to have with his dear old friends. The first lyrics are Kazuma's point of view, duh, but the lyrics on the bottom is looking at it through the others eyes...sick, yes...I know...

Kinnys: Well, I am glad that I am. At least something is working, right? XD Well, to be honest, the characters in the story are enduring much more suspense than any reader out there. Oh, and by the way, twisted is good! I like twisted stories. …So, this is very much a compliment for me. I really didn't think my story counted as being twisted… But hearing it from you, proves me wrong.

Ausie Girl: Really? Wow. I'm impressed! REALLY. I can't believe people would actually want to read through the whole thing in one sitting. Wow. I thought my story was boring. Again. I underestimate myself. I am my worst critic ever! Glad you loved the story, though. And I guess that last chapter didn't turn out so bad.

KM17: Thanks! I'm glad it is!

DR: Well, I'm happy that I'm continuing it. I realized the potential of this story and decided it would be a shame to abandon it. I'm glad you're not offended by yaoi or yuri, since I will have various pairings of that. Some think it's sick, which offends me a lot. Seriously. But I won't go into that. All I know is that people are judgmental and basically judge a character by what they see on the outside, never minding going into the depths of a character. I've had discussions like that with people, people who told me that they don't like delving deep into a character's background, especially if that character lacks a background story. People tend to keep Kuwabara as the comic relief, which is a damn shame. There's so much potential in him. ...Anyway... Thank you so much for your comments! They made me blush.

On a further note... I will be regarding the soundtrack. As stated below...

I will say (if I had not already said it before) that I hate what the anime did to him, worst of all, I hate how they purposely lowered him even further by making him sing songs that not only did not sound like him, but is NOT his type of music. He's into heavy metal, for crying out loud! Not pop music or smooth rock! Hell, he even threw a fit at Yusuke for saying his favorite band was a pop band. Why would he even sing music like that is beyond me. I guess he was trying to fit in or be accepted. And the poor boy once tried to be heavy metal, but unfortunately their little boy band did not have the proper equipment, so it turned out to sound horrible. Again, the man is into HEAVY METAL. Hell, his voice would probably even sound better if he DID sing Heavy Metal and NOT that crap they forced him to do (though I love his song about being the man that he is, the gallant knight in shining armor). The anime RUINED him. RUINED him. And they ruined Hiei, too! Shouldn't his songs sound darker than what they had him sing, too? "Dark Side Stories" was the only song that matched him perfectly, sadly, that was a duet between Yoko and him.

Has anyone ever noticed how both Hiei and Kuwabara were screwed over? The two not living up to their full potentials, let alone did their themes or music not fit them well (Kuwabara's was okay, though, considering the rest of the horrid shit they did to him)?

The manga is SO much better! At least it did not focus everything entirely on Yusuke and Kurama (especially Yusuke, though Kurama is the most favorited)! ...Leave it to the creator to pull this shit, I bet he went by those polls he put up...to see which character was liked the best, just so he could sell this anime more proficiently. Yusuke got the best because he's "the main character", but since Kurama was rated as number one on the charts, he got the special treatment. How messed up is that? *growls*

Thank you all for reading and keeping with the story so far. Sorry if anything is confusing. Things will fall into place and everything will eventually make sense.

Oh, and please keep reviewing. ...And I posted pics on my profile. Perhaps I will draw more. (I suck at drawing details, so sorry)


	24. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**ON THE DEFENSIVE, He Is  
**

...

_"In dealings with others, treat everyone equally. Those who don't treat everyone equitably cannot ever be trusted."_

- Confucius_  
_

_**[THE ERA OF CONFUSION]**_

_Due to the widespread rumors of age, witches were believed to be evil with hidden motives. From people's understanding, a witch was a person who sold themselves to acquire power, all for selfish reasons of gratifying themselves and their own desires. Not something that can be helped and neither can he blame them, since most religions and beliefs were the causes of such ignorance. From people's understanding, a witch sold his or her own soul to The Devil, and yet, somehow some people had acquired the belief that witches also worked with demons._

_Here the truth of the matter: A witch's power is a birthright, or better yet, an inheritance. It's in the blood, but receiving the gifts of magic is sometimes like a game of Russian roulette. Not everyone can be a witch, and if everyone could be, then the whole world would be in a serious heap of trouble. It's no different than a person who happens to be part demon, or in Yusuke's case, a sleeper cell._

_Buddhists could be just as bad as Christians with their labeling of people, defining them as either good or evil, when in truth nothing is entirely good or entirely evil. And both faiths claimed that if you were not one of them, that you'll go straight to hell; although for Buddhists, one meets King Yama first before going to such a horrid place. He should know, he raised by a Buddhist mother and a horrid Christian father, but as time passed, he came to realize that those faiths did not work for him and neither did he find any sense in their beliefs. He had met too many spirits that contradicted such faiths._

_Speaking of faiths, during his encounter with King Enma (Yama), Kazuma sensed that the large deity was more than what he let off, that things were more than they seemed to be, perhaps far worse than they appear. In fact, something about the man just did not add up, as if a force warned him to keep on his toes and to take great care and be uttermost careful while dealing with him. In truth, the god produced an air about him that was most troubling; cold, unfeeling, indignant, malevolent, and cruel._

_[The same could be said about Sensui. The angel was certainly different on the inside, more so than his outer appearance. He was more calm, cool, and collected, and not so determined to "End The World", but nevertheless, the angel managed to rile him. The psychic's past experiences could and can be held liable for his own contempt and distrust.]_

_Even now, he could not brush away the feeling that something was amiss, that perhaps that The God of The Dead was keeping something from him. He was sure that the deity possessed more than two names upon his person. Most gods did._

_From his own understanding, gods and goddesses were often related to one another in some way, although each and every one of them was entirely different… The first calling themselves brothers and sisters, though they came into existence at the same time._

_According to some beliefs, "The Great One" or "The One who sees all and knows all", was the same person who controlled "The Fates" or "Karma". According to those beliefs, it was He who was "The God" and is widely symbolized by "The Sun", which is also a star. According to the ancient texts and manuscripts that he had read, stars were "angels", but the Sun was "The Master"._

_Sure, science opposes with such beliefs, but these were merely symbolisms, since principally the presence of "The God" was technically everywhere and anywhere. Science claims that gravity moves the planets and stars, but ancient beliefs declare that it was "The God", gods, goddesses, and the "angels" who controlled them. And each "angel" has a designated or an assigned job or an important purpose to fulfill, just like the rest of the gods and goddesses, including the spirits and guides who dwell upon this earth. _

_Though he was not sure if "The God" and "The God of The Angels" were the same, the connection between them was shockingly close, as though they were one and the same. Remember, the Sun and the Stars that represent them.  
_

_He came across books of old and ones of new, and found how beliefs changed, often drastically, as if by some chance someone had gone and twisted the truths to fit their own liking, mixing and mingling to some purpose, which unfortunately caused an uproar of religious disputes as well as widespread confusion._

_From what he read, "The God" was also a consort of "The Goddess", the both of them having been responsible for creation and all life that exists. From these texts, though no one has ever seen "The God" and "The Goddess" in their true forms, the two had manifested in human-like bodies, gracing the worlds with their presence; but mind you, not many realized it was them since their fragile minds could not fathom such possibilities. However, whether the two were usually seen in the same place as once, no one knew._

_The texts also mentioned of their reincarnation, being born more than once, living amongst the humans as more than ordinary people. And moreover, the books mentioned of the two having a child, though their progeny was often defined as a "She" rather than a supposed "He". _

_The reincarnation of their child they kept to themselves, their main reasons for acquiring human bodies to do so was a different story altogether, not to mention a rather long one at that. Apparently, to make such a long story short, the two had lost their child...for her curiosity of the humans had caused her to lose her life. How the tragedy happened, the texts did not clarify. All he knew was that this incident had happened during the first years after the creation of mankind; and no, man was not perfect then as he is not at all perfect now because the belief in a "sin-free" world is an utter lie._

_It had been said that when man was created, he had an empty place within his heart...a hole...that could not nor ever be filled._

_Were these two born repeatedly? He had no clue. Perhaps they merely dwelled within chosen bodies, a case that is similar to that of Yoko Kurama's.  
_

_He was sure that this was not merely coincidence. "The God" and "The Goddess" had to exist and were as real as King Yama himself. Gods and goddesses have multiple names, he knew, but who they were was all the same no matter what creatures called them by._

_…Which did not add up in this case, especially with accordance to what everyone is now saying these days. "The God" was defined as being evil, his named practically marred, while "The Goddess" was despised by those who followed widely accepted beliefs if not being merely defined as a "harlot", and the failing of mentioning about their child was an utter sad case that shouldn't be ignored. Worst of all, their child's proof of existence almost disappeared completely, and yet, in some religions, was replaced by a perfect "Son". Furthermore, some pagan beliefs chose to worship the other gods and goddesses instead, rather than paying much attention to the highest powers._

_Why was "The God" described as an angel? Why and how was he "fallen"? Why were angels BAD? And where is "The Goddess"? Why hasn't anyone mentioned about her? _

_Most importantly, why was "The God" considered to be evil? Why was He the villain in this story? And why would "The God" destroy the worlds that he created, when it defeats the purpose since he gave everyone a free will?_

_And why is this all so VERY confusing?_

_...Maybe he was reading the wrong books...and perhaps what Spirit World had told him was right... But somehow, he just could not bring himself to completely believe them. After all, The Underworld is ran by half-witted ninnies; the half-baked Special Defense Force being one in particular.  
_

_As the wise voice in his head once said; "Nothing is what it seems, particularly in this day and age."_

_[The same went towards the angels being "the true vampires"... But somehow he did not doubt that to be true, since science has indeed proven that stars are one of the most lethal forces in the universe, and as he recalled, he was told that those beings were multifaceted and had dual natures.]  
_

_How he acquired such texts was rather uncanny itself, but he chose not to put much thought into that, refusing to ruminate too much upon the unexplainable. Although, the rather eccentric crone who owned the store was another matter that comes into question. Not only did she not originate from this country, but she was also a psychic and seemed to be more than willing to aid him in his needs, as though guiding him onto the path of finding life's important answers…_

_[She had given him the tools, but most of them had yet to use.]  
_

_And if that wasn't weird enough, he was forced to become a Spirit Detective. He used the term "forced" since Spirit World accepts no refusal by any means, choosing a person to serve as long as the gods see fit._

_Perhaps…just perhaps…_

_Maybe his purpose in life was to shed some light onto all of this, to find the truth and restore it back into it's proper place. And in the midst of it all, find "The Chosen One" and determine where life will lead them all from there._

_Because, quite frankly, none of which he was told was making any sense._

**oOo**

Once in the hallway, Kazuma met up with Sun and Irei, who were standing several feet away from the doorway of the room.

The deity was perched up casually against the wall, with his arms folded across his chest and a simper air upon his visage.

Irei stood near him on the pathway, her posture was somewhat awkward, buckled knees and pigeon toed. She was still wearing her tattered slip, too, and was completely filthy from top to bottom; her little feet were the saddest sight of them all, all scratched up and blackened with grim and dirt.

Kazuma frowned when he beheld the pitiful picture, now fully realizing her shoddy and unkempt condition. She definitely needed a good bathing, if not a decent scrubbing, as well as new garments…because that outfit was not going to do.

She looked worse than he did right now, his own clothes full of rips and tears, not to mention the base of the tail of his kimono had charred holes. How the latter came about, he had no clue.

"You sure showed them, yes?" Sun spoke up, snapping Kazuma's back to him. The deity eyed him up and down, tsking. "Ah yah. You seriously need to advance your skills in how to fight cleanly."

The orange haired man took notice of the god's attention to his own apparel. "I'm sorry, Master. It seems as though I've ruined the new threads you've just given me."

"What do you think clothes come from? Trees?" He returned with a clever remark.

Kazuma almost fell over, recalling the incident in the forest when he had used his alchemy. Apparently his friend found humor by his prior use of magic and science, since making clothes out of almost thin air is a very intricate achievement that has not been done or accomplished for millenniums. "Apparently so."

The psychic sighed, his mind currently traveling to other matters… Very important matters; i.e. relinquishing the negative energies that had accumulated here.

As he began to study his surroundings, his orpiment eyes transformed into crystal blue orbs; appearing transparent as glass with a hue like a bright summer sky.

The bad vibes were so severe now that he could literally see the gathering of dark clouds forming into ectoplasm upon the walls and especially in every corner; seemingly alive and animated as it oozed, though it was its way of actually crawling up and down the walls. This place was in need of a good cleansing, but it takes certain materials to do that.

Hatred, anger, confusion, gloom, and despair was radiating from all around him. Moreover, his mind was so busy these days, working overtime. He could not help but to yearn for harmony and tranquility, most desperately. The psychic felt overwhelmed, needless to say. Normally, he would meditate to help ease his mind and soul, but the likely chance of him achieving solace any time soon was slim to none.

"Listen, Kuwabara… About the kid…" Came a voice from behind him, but it did not belong to his black haired companion.

Like he said, slim to none.

"She's staying, Koenma." He answered back, not bothering to turn around and face him.

"What?" The demigod shouted, blurting out the question as a sign of disbelief, more of an emotional upheaval than a statement. Kazuma did not need to see his face to know that he upset, his voice on it's own revealed the shock and condemnation upon the psychic's decision. "You mean to tell me you wanted the others to leave, but not… That's preposterous! Have you lost your mind?"

Kazuma's eyes changed again, now darkening, appearing more like round lumps of burning coal. And likewise, his face had also darkened, the unnatural shadows draping over his features like a widow's veil.

"Now you listen here…" He said, his own tone of voice forewarning the Prince of the possible danger that was to come if he did not mind himself and his words. "She has nowhere else to go, and putting her in an orphanage would be the biggest mistake. And furthermore, it just doesn't seem right to me to do something like that. Only a heartless fuck would do that and not feel anything, not even regret! Anyway, I will not continue having this conversation with you."

Koenma sighed with a grunt, obviously frustrated with how nothing seemed to be going his way. The demigod was a definite whiner and sometimes could prove to be a spoiled brat. _"…Well, if at least someone has to go, then it should be Ref…"_ He thought begrudgingly to himself.

Kazuma spun on his heels at a drop of a hat, whirled around and hollered at him; "Whomever I choose to be friends with is my own damn business, YA HEAR!" His eyes blazed with fiery, seeing through the Prince's intentions quite clearly...thanks to his gift of clarity.

He had picked up his thoughts, like a radar picking up sound waves.

He knew the Reikai Prince believed him to be a fool for permitting Reficul to remain here, let alone become his friend, which was why he told him off. The baby in the guise made him desire heinous pleasures of ripping his scalp off by the roots of his hair, due to having been vexed by the demigod's sheer pomposity. And to think that people said he was "The closed minded" of the group.

Koenma stumbled back and fell onto his rear, the psychic's actions catching him utterly off guard.

The psychic growled at him, on the verge of becoming pissed. The pressure around him plummeted, becoming heavy like lead, which cracked and cratered the floor beneath him.

Koenma stared at him with unyielding wide eyes, still suffering from having been shocked beyond belief, but observing the psychic display such power was not making him feel any better. He let out a cough, trying to regain his composure, but deep down he was very much afraid. Terrified, even. Tears pecked his eyes as he swallowed back the remorse he was sure would resurface later on. No one else besides his father had ever made him cry, nor did anyone else manage to remind or set him back into his place; of the fact that he was still under the curse of remaining as a child, despite how old he truly was. _"I'm doomed! Father's going to kill me, I just know it! And that's if Kuwabara doesn't try to first!"_

In a matter of seconds, the demigod downgraded in both size and age, his disguise to appear more mature finally failing to sustain. To keep a guise like that up takes a lot of stamina and control, particularly emotional and mental restraint.

Upon seeing the demigod's tenuous shape touched Kazuma's heart, causing a strum of guilt to ripple within. Damn, he was so weak, not to mention the fact that he could not stay angry…for at least long. He was a softy, through and through, he was gentle at heart, and he often hated it.

"Look, I'm sorry…" He spoke softly as the fiery orbs in his eyes calmed downed, returning to their shining orpiment. Likewise, he let down his defenses, but not entirely. "But it has to be this way."

After a passing of a beat, he looked around and noticed that something was missing... More like someone. The dark god was nowhere to be seen, causing the psychic to wonder as to where he might have gone. The God of Demons had disappeared without a trace, and certainly, if he was still here, he would have throttled Koenma without giving the demigod a breath of a chance.

Still, knowing that his friend was not here, made his heart sink; feeling a sensation of hurt and a heaviness travel down his throat, sliding down his esophagus to the pit of his stomach.

_What's this feeling...?_

_Disappointment? Despair? Abandonment? Loneliness?_

_No, it couldn't be? There was no way he could have developed an attachment so fast. ...Then again...nothing's ever impossible...both Yukina and Yusuke taught him that._

After a brief pause of trying to push the unwanted feelings away, Kazuma then turned his attention back to the other two, but more precisely the child. He knelt down before her, then calmly reached over to place his hand upon her crown as a gesture of comfort.

To his surprise, she was not afraid. In fact, she quickly wobbled over and then latched herself upon his leg.

He blinked for a moment as he watched the babe turn her head upwards, looking up at him with much love and admiration.

"I knew someone would save me!" She declared, with happiness radiating from her being, like a warm light from a candle.

He looked at her thoughtfully for a second before a soft and kind smile graced his lips, his own warmth returning her's.

"I'll avenge you completely, I promise." He vowed, tenderly rubbing his hand through her hair. "I'll make them pay for their rejection and neglect." And he meant every word of it, too.

"Mister… What's an orphanage?" She inquired with such innocence, her head tilted to the side as she looked up at him with such curiosity in her eyes. Being a baby, she was quite articulate, which amazed him. Then again, she wasn't at all human.

"Oh, it's nothing…" He responded subtly, then paused for a moment as he caressed her head in silence. From his viewpoint, a child should never know of such a place. He didn't know why, but he very seldom received any good feelings when passing those shelters, if any positive vibrations at all. "Nothing that should concern you."

Koenma and Sun Wukong watched them both, but they were not the only ones. The others, especially Shizuru, observed the whole scene from the doorway of the room behind him.

The elder Kuwabara sibling was leaning against the door-frame, holding her hand over her mouth in an attempt to keep her emotions, as well as every well kept secret within herself.

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Commentary:**

As for the part in _italics_: I actually had this in the next chapter, but decided to post it as separate in order to prevent the story from getting off track.

Also, this chapter's purposes is to give the reader's a taste of what Kuwabara knows and what he is. It does reveal truths and facts, though to some readers it may seem unsettling. This story is not for the faint of heart, obviously.

Sorry I haven't posted anything for so long, but I had my reasons.. You know, life in general and writer's block. I know what I want, but getting it out is another story.

KM17: *nods* And the others feelings towards him are quite mutual. Thank you for your comments.

Saya: Thanks! …Sadly, his posse didn't. However, their spirits are still alive…somewhere. Whether he meets them again or not, I have not decided. This story still has far to go. And yes, you could say that "All Hell froze over" with Kuwabara and Hiei respecting each other. The previous chapter was quite a revolution all on it's own, I will agree. …Hades and Persephone, you say? How? *is curious*

Dark: LOL No, it's not sad that you want to see those two duke it out. I do, myself. So, if you consider yourself to be bad for wanting that, then so am I.

FireflyLeo: Aww. Thank you. Thank you very much. I think the story is absolutely horrid, but that may just be me. I actually want to write better, to seem more whimsical, but everything I write tends to seem more factual than anything else.

Thank you all for reading! Hopefully, I'll get back to the next chapter… However, lately, my area is suffering from thunderstorms.


	25. Chapter 23 1

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**REBOUNDS AND BLISTERS: PART ONE**

**[ANOTHER ASININE ANECDOTE]**

_"I'd run away but I'm not allowed so I suffer through it_  
_Out of your sight_  
_Are you out of your mind?_  
_In my absence your heart never grew fonder_  
_…_  
_Enough love for the family_  
_Just nothing left for me, ya see?_  
_It's just like Cinderella_  
_Locked up and hid away, you've no idea_  
_What you've created_  
_Wanted to take a look and see through a hole without a key_  
_See where I've been missing_  
_God damn you for what I am"_

-Mudvayne; "A Cinderella Story"

**#1#2#3**

_They were doing it again! Over and over again, they had the ill will to beat him over the head with the mallet of that which was the derivation of something he abhorred…_

_Oh, but it didn't stop there... _

_Stabbing with knives, cutting with razors, and pulling the triggers on their guns._

_They didn't miss him, not one teeny tiny bit. No, they missed having someone to push around. And since he was no longer willing to play the character who's role was the obnoxious yet scarcely loveable fool, they were exceptionally sore at him._

_**"Who does he think he is, treating us like that? …He might appear to be beautiful on the outside, but his insides are hideous! Having a pretty face now has surely gone to his head. Does he think he's better than us?"**_

_**"Kazuma doesn't like me anymore… That's fine, because I don't like him either. Not anymore. He's not the same person I knew or who I thought I did. And did he have to go so low to replace us with that scary man? …Even so far as to replace me?"**_

_**"He's a bastard! A no good bully with the ambitions of a dictator! Why he even claims to have an honor code is beyond me!"**_

_**"King Yama must have had a few screws loose when he had chosen Kuwabara to take charge of this whole operation. Clearly, he doesn't know what he's doing, not to mention that he's disregarding the values of teamwork. …Not that he was ever well equipped to handle a situation, never mind his lacking in the upstairs department. It does not take a brain surgeon to recognize that he lacks certain qualities; like ingenuity. Clearly, Reikai must be desperate."**_

_**"…That idiot…when I get my hands on him… Honestly, he doesn't know how good he's got it..."**_

_**"Kuwabara needs to have some sense, preferably smacked into him. I'm not going to put up with his sour attitude for much longer. If I refuse to take Yusuke's bullshit, then why must I take his? …Boohoo. So he's had a hard time. Big deal. Well, I have some news for that jerk, the world does not revolve around him!"**_

_…People's faces change so quickly…when having to face the truth…and the consequences of their own mistakes…_

_…But were their actions merely blunders?_

_Were their intentions pure or merely hidden motives?_

_They plagued him night and day, now to return with the same fucked up pleasures… Infiltrating, looking down upon him with their thalidomide robot faces… Whilst he was wrapped in glass and soaking in lime juice, their intent like acid coursing in his blood, and their words charring the synapses in his brain. They were on helium, overrated and arrogant, shamelessly splurging on his pain as though it was the greatest high of the century._

_Consoling, joking and hoping, loathing, controlling, revolting and revolving._

_Must he elaborate endlessly about the everyday bullshit they put him through?_

_He felt as though they were here to merely play with his head; their conspiracy that was pitted against him in hopes to break him down upon impact._

_It was the suspense that gets him, though, because he had not other choice but to sit and wait until their next attack. Not that he was going to take it lying down, but he was sick of playing this game with them. All of this sordidness was draining, let alone corrosion upon the senses._

_These so called "friends" of his bared the same similarities of the countless enemies whom he had contested against, the only difference between the two was far from being obscured._

_If it's true that everyone has their own personal demons, then his "demons" were them._

_What else was he to think?_

_He felt as though he was the one to blame. All to blame for everything between them._

_But none of which they thought about him was true, just falsely made accusations._

_Surprisingly, only three did not think nor say anything horribly about him…_

_Koenma, Botan, and…Hiei._

_The latter individual was the most least expected._

_And these were the people who were not the closest to him._

**oOo**

His day had been hard, yet he had an inkling that this day's hardships was far from being over, lasting even into the wee hours of the night. Gloom was a tall glass to drink, the negativity laying heavy, boggling his senses as foreign emotions futilely bombarded his mind. Though the place had quieted down exceptionally, he found no peace within his inner self. The silence was similar to that of one hears at a graveyard, however, his mind was not so fortunate. Riddled with unbridled torments and his heart goaded by anguish, he was restless.

To paint a clearer picture, he'd rather be laying in a bed of thorns than to endure these insufferable torments.

Perhaps he had been wrong to tell them off. And perhaps he deserved every ounce of distress from the ordeal, believing that he had asked for this; AKA he had it coming. Sometimes, we ask for a little bit too much, receiving a hefty price after the process is finished.

As The Rede States:

_"Mind ye threefold law ye should, three times bad and three times good."_

Which means: _Whatever you put out – both good or bad, will be returned to you multiplied by three. In other words, "one reaps what they sow". All actions have a consequence or dividend._

But he was not perfect and he was only human, so keeping positive all the time was a very impossible thing to do.

Their thoughts concerning his person were more or less disheartening, causing his heart to twinge from the bitterness and resentment that he had no doubt caused. They may seem placid on the outside, but their concealed emotions told him otherwise.

…What did they expect of him?

What did they think he was? A saint? A fool?

It was snuff, but not a breath or a substance that one sniffs. They gave him no any air supply, zapping the oxygen from out of his lungs, causing his soul to choke.

Moreover, the air around him still felt like a cage. He was locked up inside of it, while they went away with their innocence and left him with his sins.

Again, it seemed he was forced to play this role… This beyond the pale character, with no life-support, as every feeling leaves his body.

His love being a camouflage for what resembles rage again, a fury that is incomprehensible.

If they still loved him, it would be of their best interest to just let him go. …And run away before he'll know, not that he wouldn't. He just didn't care, nor did he want to. Because if they were gone, he can't destroy what isn't there, and if he was alone he could not hate.

As though right on cue, he heard the sounds of wheels rolling against the hardwood floors, chugging along with the voices of three individuals gathering into the main room; the women folk to be precise. He did not need to go investigate to know what was happening, he knew the sound of luggage all too well. That, and he was in the room right next to them, his room, busy with making something for Irei to wear; sowing by hand with a needle, thread, and some spare fabric that the Apish Master had handed to him.

[And still, he had yet to repair the tears and holes in his own clothes, responsibly taking care of the child's needs first. You'd think one of the women would of kindly offer some assistance, but no.]

The girls were leaving, with their belongings in tow, though they had brought with them only a few of their necessities. From what he could make from the utterances echoing through the walls, they were departing from here tonight, Keiko and Yukina speaking to Shizuru and each other in unreserved tones about how they hated being here. Worst of all, all three of the girls felt sorry for him, but were not willing to do anything to alleviate the issues that had been revealed here today.

_"…So they still manage to speak shit about me…talking behind my back while I'm not present…dogging me around…"_ He thought acrimoniously to himself, his brow furrowing in disdain upon hearing their discord. _"No doubt, they prolly wonder why I don't fall for their sugarcoated acts anymore. I swear, their sick sweet makes me so ill I could chunk and hurl all over the goddamn place!"_

Silently, he took back the prior feelings of remorse and guilt. They deserved what came to them. Actually, in his own opinion, he had been way too gentle with them. Perhaps what they really needed, was a good screaming in their ears and beating of a lifetime! …Too bad he couldn't bring himself to do it, though, since it went against his honor code to hit a lady.

_"Go on and leave! Leave! All of you! And don't let the door hit ya where it should'a bit'chya!"_

However, the reason as to why they had yet to walk out that door was because of one reason and one reason only, they were solely waiting upon Kurama. Being that they were hitching a ride with him, apparently meant that he had agreed to head back to their hometown, dropping Keiko off at his sister's before Yukina and he venture off to their destination. Quite plainly, he was their one way ticket out of here.

"Deliver me into my fate… I don't deserve to have them." He whispered numbly to himself, somehow feeling a great loss in all of this.

**_"What's been said is said."_** That familiar inner voice spoke up, it's tone brusque and pitiless. _**"If the Half-breed Mazoku had been the one to have spoken in such begotten contempt against them, if he had been the one to have told them how he felt, running them down with a ferocious passion…everything would have been different. They would have forgiven him and would have chose to remain instead of choosing to heed your words and leave this place. As I've told you, they don't regret having hurt you…because if their compunction was genuine, they would do everything at their own power to make matters right…. Even the staturely challenged three eyed youkai knows this."**_

Kazuma hung his head low, trying his best to concentrate upon the task at hand, monotonously weaving the needle through the fabric, sowing together the seams of what was going to be a simple covering.

That smile he once had, it had been taken away long ago.

Moments passed, not realizing that he was already coping by turning a deaf ear upon their words, tuning them completely out. They could say all that they wanted to say now, because he was no longer listening.

The self-affliction began to fade, but only so slightly.

Suffice to say, they couldn't hate enough to love. Not that anything that they were willing to give to him was enough, anyway. They even refused to fight, to come up to him and tell him how wrong he was for his assumptions. No, instead, they were running away.

And his love for them had only given him the shit end of the stick, as if the universe was punishing him for caring about them.

It was their own undoing for coming here, their fault for smashing themselves against his stones. …But did they have to go and spit their pity in his soul?

He was not sorry for having left five years ago, and if he could, he would leave them far behind…in the dust. Never to be heard from nor seen again.

And he did not want to change, and if he could, he hoped he would never know.

_"It took the death of hope to let you go… All of you go. If you still love me, ...if any of you ever love me...don't ever let me know. Don't ever let me know. ...I'll bury you in the graves that you all so deserve to be in."_

**#4#5#6**

_"You walked in here, was it like a dream?_  
_You got in here, was it like it seemed?"_

-Deftones; "Rats, Rats, Rats!"

**…TBC…**

**

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**Author's Commentary:**

Note: This is Part One of the next chapter. And the next chapter will be Part Two.

I know this day seems to continue on and on. …But it is drawing to a close. And once it has, a new day will begin. …Ever have one of those days that's just so terribly long? Well, Kazuma is having one of THOSE.

I told you this story had a long way to go…and I meant what I said, too.

To be quite clear, this is really my take on a Spin-off that should have happened.

Dark: Yes, you'd think he had made his point clear… But apparently, as you see… People can be…quite cruel. And thank you for your support.

KM17: Thanks! And will do!

Thank you all for reading and please review.


	26. Chapter 23 intermission

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

**ANSWERS TO REVIEWS:**

Dark: HAHA. Yes. It's one of his abilities he's learned to do or obtained. It took a lot of practice to get where he is now with that. And all because Kazuma was a cop, doesn't mean he didn't have a life outside of his job. …What life you can manage to call it. And thanks!

Saya: Perhaps Ref could be, but you'll know eventually. As for what you said, the comparison between Kuwabara and Ref with Hades and Persephone… I think you hit the nail right on the head. Seriously. Now that I think about it, those two are more like Hades and Persephone than any other pairing out there in existence.

KM17: Thank you!

* * *

**WHAT'S NOT SAID, BUT SHOULD HAVE BEEN OR SHOULD BE**

**[A Brief Intermission-Aside From Everything Else]**

_Hey, bro. Ever wondered why Genkai chose that brat instead of taking you under her wing?_

_Turns out, you were overqualified. And those were her words._

_Which reminds me… It was rather funny how that kook had compared you with a swan. In fact, quite uncanny. "Freaky" is the word. …Because Genkai had done the same exact thing._

_Another reason, one which you should never know, is that… Why she refused to take you in as her pupil or apprentice is because you reminded her too much of someone… One who had a heart similar to your own and was so much like you._

_Too much, actually.  
_

_She was unable to bear any further pain, to live once again in a state of constant reminder…_

_If she had taken you in as her student, she'd have no other choice but to relive the tragedy all over again. Though she'd never admit it, it had been clear that she had been running from her own troubles, hiding away from her own pain. I believe a part of her blamed herself for what had happened in her distant past, as though she had not done enough to prevent it from ever happening. Instead of stepping in, she had distant herself from him, ignoring the situation as though it was not happening._

_She had been selfish for doing so._

_I would you could see or listen to what I am saying here, lil' bro._

_…You reminded her of HIM, Kazuma, of all people._

_Toguro Ototo._

_She had said that his intentions were once pure… He possessed a good heart, always wanting to help others for the better good, and even had an honor code. Like you, he wouldn't fight women, not even lay a finger on them to hurt them in any sort of way. And neither would he fight the weak, in fact, he refused to less he had no other choice but to contend with them. _

_How pathetic is that? _

_Toguro even possessed a desire streak to become stronger, much stronger, just so he could prove himself to the worlds around him... Sound familiar?  
_

_He was kind, generous, so noble, and loyal to a fault. He'd put his own life on the line to protect those whom he loved and cared about. And he'd even give his own clothes off his back., which quite often he did. He was once a good man, through and through. And it was for his kindness and light that had caused him to pay a horrible price._

_I can't imagine Toguro being a big softy, let alone Mister Sensitive… It's a rather hard thing to do. But at one time, he was._

_He was so much like you, but at that time when she made such confessions I didn't really consider it and nor did I waste my time to compare the evidence…_

_…That is until now._

_You big lug. It's one reason why you worry me so. More so now than ever._

_They used to fight side by side one another, were the best of friends, even so much as lovers. Unfortunately, as time passed, he became jaded, his mind clouded by his own hatred. Consumed by rage and taken over by his drive to reap vengeance… His heart used to shine, but that light had also been eaten away by the darkness that had taken over him, just has his sanity and morals had been._

_It was not too long from that point that he began hurting people, callously without much as a single regard for anyone, anything, and neither life as complete whole._

_By the time she had decided to try to save him, it had been far too late. For her poor choices, she knew she had been to blame… And could not blame him in return for his contempt against her. She knew she had betrayed him, by allowing him to give up the fight that was raging within him. She couldn't blame him for leaving her behind._

_The world had always been revolving around her, and being that she was far too busy in satisfying her own needs to further shield his fragile heart from the world, she had forgotten him. And she had paid for that, dearly._

_All she could ask was "Why"… Why not her before him. She always figured she'd be the one, not him._

_Genkai used to be a rather wordly type of girl, but after she had lost her best friend, she had cut herself off from everything and chose to live the life of a hermit, to exist in complete solitude._

_That's why she was always on Yusuke's case about you. She didn't the same thing to happen to him, what had happened to her.  
_

_She told me things, though at the time I pretended as though I didn't care one way or another. And at that time, I did not know why she was so intent to confide in me these things. She knew of your power and your potential, make no mistake about that. But as to how much she knew about you personally, I can only grasp at straws with._

_However…_

_She said that Yusuke reminded her of herself and that Toguro was wrong in his assumptions… You were so much like him, like that monster. Though I could care less about that brat these days, and though even I myself holds a grudge against him for his lack of intelligence or common sense, please… Kazuma…_

_Don't end up like him._

_Don't be like Toguro.  
_

_Because, all we need now is for you two to war against each other._

_I don't want to see…I don't want to be around while two knuckleheads that used to be best friends turn into bitter rivals. Worse, sworn enemies…_

_Even that bastard punk doesn't deserve that much hatred coming from you, though a part of me says he does. But that is just the contempt from an older sibling, your older sister. That and I can't stand him anymore for the bullshit he pulls. His actions... They're uncalled for. Even I'll admit that.  
_

_Sometimes… I thought that nitwit loved you more than a brother. [He just has a crappy way of expressing it, not that he's any better at it when it comes to Keiko.]_

_And if he does, well… He's in for one rude eye opener ahead of him._

_Worst of all, Sensui had the nerve to compare you to himself. _

_Sadly... I can't argue with that. I can only think or imagine as to what you're going to become. ...By the time all this, this nightmare, draws into another yet more horrific one._

_**-Shizuru**  
_

_Also, I don't trust the fox…and neither should you. My intuition tells me that he's up to no good, that he's been up to something. I believe Hiei has the same suspicions, because I have caught him spying on Mister Effeminate more often than he has in the past. Though as to why he brought his own sister into his schemes...is perhaps because it would have been the least expected thing for him to do._

_Kazuma, there is more going on than what meets the eye._

**…TBC….**

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**Author's Comments:**

Sorry for the long wait. A REALLY LONG WAIT. Oi.

Though I should have posted this after "Part 2" of the last chapter, I decided to post it anyway. To help lesson the pain of the last chapter.

I am still working on that chapter, by the way.

I also wrote this, too, to help clarify that Shizuru doesn't hate Yusuke THAT much. It's not a BASH-fic. No. Please, don't think it is.

More is to come.

Please review or comment!


	27. Chapter 23 2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**REBOUNDS AND BLISTERS: PART TWO**

**THE DEVIL BESIDE YOU**

_"Would you love a monster-man? Could you understand 'beauty of the beast'?"_

_-Lordi_

**#1#2#3**

A little over thirty minutes later…

After finishing the miniature nightie, he neatly draped it over his arm and then exited from his quarters; which obviously, if he was paying any attention, took the girls by surprise.

Needless to say, they had not expected him to have been in there. And since they had not seen him enter into the room, they pretty much did the math and knew what it precisely meant…

That he had heard everything. And unfortunately for them, he had learned to hide his presence or spirit energy whilst being in the non-fighting mode.

[_It took a little bit of practice and also a great deal of patience to hone this technique._]

However, Kazuma completely ignored them as though they were not there, practically turning a blind eye to them; treating them as though they were merely part of the scenery. Frankly, it was though they were of no importance to him.

But in truth, his mind was someplace else, too busy on focusing on other important matters. There was a lot to be done, which meant there was no time for dilly-dally.

He was tired and worn as it is. He didn't need any hindrance from other sources that will guarantee him further stress. Besides giving the baby a proper bath, he needed to fumigate this place…and he knew that both jobs were was going to prove to be time consuming endeavors.

Once in the kitchen, he laid the clothes upon the table. He had in mind to use the rest of the cloth he had not used to make a makeshift diaper; so that the child's rear would not remain bare and exposed to the elements.

From his Master's cupboard, he took sage, bay leaves, and grounded cinnamon. From the kitchen's alcove, he grabbed the makeshift broom, or handcrafted besom, and from another cabinet he grabbed a bowl. He also drug out a large kettle, one of which was the size to fit two children in comfortably, it's circumference greater than in height. His intentions for the kettle was not for cooking, but had in mind to use it for another entirely different purpose; bathing a baby in the nearby lake was not the wisest option.

Sun Wukong was a very old fashioned type of guy, not one for the creature comforts of this day and age, which Kazuma believed to be rather fortunate for.

Any modern individual would not provide such tools to be at use, in fact, obtaining them in the city would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. Average day people are way too accustomed to having everything being laid out for them, including owning a toilet that does everything while you do your business just so you don't have to; like wiping one's own ass was a hard thing to do. In this day and age, he found his generation to be ungrateful, disrespectful, and quite lazy… At least in comparison with their ancestors, who often driven by their common urges to survive, having no other choice but to do backbreaking labor whilst they worked in the beating sun.

So, needless to say, the psychic's needs were not short at hand. And Kazuma did not mind hard work, either. In truth, he found hard work to be rather satisfying, especially when a job is finished.

He took the herbs and spices and placed them into the bowl, then set them aside by the crook of the backdoor.

After heading outside, he grabbed an axe to begin chopping the wood for the fire. He would use his own spirit sword to sever the wood, but he needed to conserve his energy.

Beside the traditional abode, a mound of perfectly dried out logs were already ready to be cut and sectioned into smaller sizes. It takes about a year, and sometimes up to two years, for the drying process of wood if one wishes for it to be usable. In other words, firewood must be seasoned.

Also, being that this was the meat of an oak, the downside was that the timber is generally hard to split. On the bright side, the wood provided a valued heat source, produced very little smoke and no sparks.

He placed a log upon the chopping stump, right in the center, the length of the wood was two feet and was a foot across in diameter. He gave the axe a few good swings, warming his muscles up so that when he strikes it will make a clean slice, right through the middle.

However, before he could commence…

Whilst the axe was raised over his shoulder, the tool had suddenly became heavy, extremely heavy, burdened with an unnatural weight. He tried jerking it forward, but it would not budge.

It did not take long for him to become tetchy. Snarling to himself as he struggled to haul the axe, fighting back for control, and arguing with the inanimate object; yapping and muttering orders gruffly under his breath with a surly wit that was anything but commendable.

He was cantankerous as an old hen or like a wet cat caught on a bad day, which was highly understandable since he had been up and running from the time his eyelids had opened up like window shutters.

A gust of tomb-like wind blew behind him, to which then a off-putting feeling surmounted him, ushering him away from his previous engagement and throes. It came out of nowhere, but the eeriness thereof caused his skin to crawl. Seconds later, he finally realized that he was no longer alone.

Kazuma quickly turned his head, his body following his quick-like reflexes in a parry.

Behind him, appeared a dark figure, unfurling out from of the darkness, in black wisps similar to the smoldering smoke seen from an malevolent and disadvantageous fire; literally phasing through an unknown realm into the world of the mortals. In the matter of seconds, the obscured billows forged tightly together, coming together and forming into solid body mass.

Unseen to the average naked eye, the air around the figure pulsed with energy; like a ripple in a pool of water. The air itself seemed to cringe away, roaring and crackling as it futilely struggled to evade the one who was none other than The Prince of Hell, who became more distinguishable after he had completely manifested himself, and to which then the atmosphere had all but became settled or casual.

The redhead immediately sprung around to face the man for his mitigated gall, now piqued, his face darkened as it twisted, his brow furrowed into a tight knot, wrinkling slightly to demonstrate how exasperated he has become. He raised a finger, opened his mouth about to speak-to raise hell or bellow forthright, ejecting terminology containing over-exaggerated acrimonious overtones-just to deliver a point on how he detests being snuck up on, when…

"I'll take it from here." Reficul spoke up, beating him to the punch before he could manage to utter one syllable, all the while plucking the instrument out from the paler man's fingers. "I'll handle the wood, the fire, and the pot. You tend to the rest."

Though it was an offer, it sounded more of a command, and yet, with the undertones of an obligation.

Kazuma blinked up at him before tilting his head slightly downward, causing the round spears in his optical orbs appeared hooded. "How chivalrous of you, but I'm not weak. I AM a man, you know. I can handle it on my own."

"I never said you were. But how disrespectful would I be if I not offer nothing more than to lend a hand. Do you think of me as swine?" The dark god's tone was ambiguous as he was, though he spoke clear enough and his posture was contiguous; the man had beelined, pressing his body up against his before sliding a hand down to firmly grip one of the other's haunches.

Red flush kissed Kazuma's cheeks as he felt a hot ripple flow through his body.

"Kindly remove your hand from my ass and then I'll see." He quipped after tearing his gaze off the man in sheepishness.

Reficul crooned coolly, grasping the psychic's left cheek one more time prior to complying to the remark. "Don't get your panties all in a knot, Nemo." He brusquely stated with a roguish smile, his voice sounding more husky and gruff than average; guttural.

A low reptilian growl followed shortly afterwards, emitting from his chest which rumbled as though to draw the other man's attention to his exposed chassis. The light of the moon lied upon him, caressing the dark features of his ripped build in a picturesque fashion; the warm colors of his skin, like light mocha, clashed against the cool blues of the night. His physique was built like a beast, built to kill. The dimensions of his core muscles appeared as though they had been chiseled into his framework, smooth and hard like polished alabaster.

Upon quick observation, one could see that he was no boy in any way, shape, or form, but a MAN; he possessed not a child-like element in him, not even a drop of baby fat subsisted in him. As he was a man within (sort of), so did he appeared to be (again, it's in a matter of opinion). Also, by a closer examination, one would believe him to be that of African decent rather than Japanese, and perhaps even possesses Egyptian or Indian blood mixed in his veins; the dark god was more brown than olive or any other color, however, and is thus considered a "colored" individual.

Kazuma's breath hitched in his throat, his hands unfurled and pressed against the other man's chest. The pale white skin appeared colorless in the light of the moon, impeccably clashing against the other man's much darker tones. Numerous thoughts rushed inside his mind as though voices whispered of infinite possibilities, all to which caused his head to spin lightly and set his blood on fire.

"I was going to ask you about where you had been," He spoke, finally after attempting to clear his mind, but then paused to distant himself from him, taking two steps back. "…But the funny thing is, I suddenly had a change in mind."

Reficul watched him closely, not once removing his sight from him.

"I take it that you missed me." He palpably stated, his tone cool and kosher, and appearing to be unruffled by his desire's reactions. _"A change in mind, but not in heart."_

As a sly yet smug grin slithered upon his long face, he preened, sending off airs of arrogance, and glowing with such devilish charm. His muscles flexed, tightening and then releasing before rippling and convulsing, demonstrating the control he had over his own body.

The man seemed to be feeding his own ego or whatnot, flaunting and putting himself out there for the other man to see.

Kazuma straightened up his shoulders, his chest high, standing upon the balls of his feet, tall and firm in an attempt to make himself bigger; an illusion he hoped it would be full proof. "I ought to knock you into next week!" He retorted whilst shaking his fist, trying to seem as threatening as he believed he needed to be.

Oh, but it was still a threat, mind you, because he meant every single word of it, including the amount of venom he mustered into each term he carved out; no longer the guy to play or pretend and neither did he take matters lightly. His primary weapon was a sword and a sickle, and quite frankly, he could figuratively cut into someone just as bad. Kazuma didn't play games, though that would not keep him from employing clever schemes or tactics.

[_Underestimated and undermined, the ginger-haired psychic is smarter than most believe him to be._]

The dark god donned such an amused expression, as though titillated by the psychic's sass. Once again, he drew close to HIS orange haired male, then puckered his lips at him, kissed the dank air, flickered his tongue in a savage manner, and then clicked his teeth as he snapped his jaws.

Reficul was not the type to type to say "I love you"s, particularly because he believed in actions rather than words. Only a fool who needed to convince himself and others would need to repeat himself incessantly.

[_Suave as he may seem now, most people saw him to be "Evilly Affable"; clear-cut, a villainous monster with a wicked and cruel (if not dastardly and sick) sense of humor… While others believed him to be a complete chauvinistic bastard and surly mannered in every aspect in his personality; like Koenma for an example. His servants, however, are sometimes "graced" to behold other sides to him that the rest of existence never sees._

_To be precisely accurate, he genuinely fits the idiom "Heroic Sociopath" to a T._

_Just like Kazuma who is (as a rule) the "Butt Monkey", the guy who is always the butt of the demeaning joke and seems to walk through life with a permanent "Kick Me" sign attached to his back; invisible to him, but all too visible to the rest of the world. The previous relationships in his life where merely occasional "Throw The Dog a Bone" circumstances, because someone who is of higher power cannot resist from "Yanking The Dog's Chain"; technically speaking, his life suffering being "Played For Laughs". He once fit the "Baldrick" archetype, once delusional and once upon a time believed that he was being appreciated, but he finally awoken and broke away from that role; much to someone else's displeasure. (A Baldrick is a person who's considered to be "an annoying, incompetent sidekick of another" and the only talent a Baldrick seems to have is the unending ability to tolerate any amount of abuse — and he needs it, given how often his "friends" are yelling at him and throwing him face-first into walls.) However, he fell into another yet more dismal prototype, still quite the "Boisterous Bruiser", but is still obviously "The Chew Toy" in the eyes of all those who surround him…_

_Being that that had been said…_

_Let us all recall what Mel Brooks had once stated—"Tragedy is when I cut my finger. Comedy is when you fall in an open sewer and die."_

_Instead of continuing to play "The Lancer" role, our fiery haired psychic fits more on the lines of being or working his way of becoming "The Anti-Hero"; the protagonist role that contrasts against Yusuke's "Invincible Superhero" role and status quite significantly, despite the "badass attitude" charade his arch-rival generally plays (Kazuma's is more genuine and "for real" rather than a practical cover up, especially nowadays… Remember, he has other ways or methods in masking himself). That, and Yusuke is just a jerk who possesses redeemable qualities._

_Nevertheless, Kazuma will always be overshadowed by the others._]

The still waters run deep, being that there was more to him than what meets the eye. He didn't wear his heart out on his sleeve like Kazuma does…

Don't get it wrong. The psychic was an immensely strong person, but his heart was more fragile than he'd like to admit, and because of that he never leaves his own heart open. He wasn't known as "Mr. Sensitive" for nothing, though he usually covered himself up by belting those who have offended him. The redhead was chucked full of insecurities, all to which he guarded and keeps to himself in secrecy.

However, Kazuma couldn't tell whether he was dealing with "The Big Bad Wolf" or "The Devil" himself. No doubt the man drank his water from a wolf's footprint.

Especially after having seen that action the god had committed earlier. He thought the man's intentions were to merely "wolf" him down like dog food, or fresh meat, if not lap the rest of him up with that tongue of his.

_"…Gods, that did NOT come out right." _He thought, whilst turning feverishly red all over.

The dark god sported a crooked smirk, sending it right to the man with all his cockiness he could provide. "If you're good and you know it, why waste time beating around the bush?" He stated with unbridled veracity, taking the psychic further aback for he had answered his silent uncertainties. "It's what I always say. Every moves a picture. I thought I'd lay it on you."

_"What? Is he psychic, too?"_

"What if I am, babe?"

The shorter man's eyes nearly bulged from their sockets upon receiving that answer. Could that be why the other man was so hard to read, concealing his mind from the world with his own strongholds much like his own?

"You'd be surprised at what lies within the confounds of my head." stated Reficul yet again, the crooked grin he wore displayed how much he was enjoying this "little mind game". He then added in a furtive tone; "…And I know what you're thinking. _"Where's he been all my life?"_ Right?" He drawled out the last word, purposely for the sake of achieving a few kicks.

Kazuma scoffed and then rolled his eyes at him. "Not really." He snapped, attempting to raise up his walls again as he behaved stubbornly. He then turned his head away in a futile attempt to hide his face, fidgeting and blushing madly.

Reficul chuckled at his defiance, then grabbed him by the shoulder, turning Kazuma back around, pulling him into one arm and held him there steadfastly. "Must you doubt my fidelity?"

Gods, he's so blatant, it blisters the faint-of-heart! Like how the sun burns the flesh of an albino, who unfortunately also happens to be cursed with the genetic disorder known as Erythropoietic protoporphyria; EPP. The poor, poor soul.

But Kazuma was just as forward, or so he can prove. "Where were you anyway?" He asked, pushing aside the other's question, and almost jabbing the other man's nose with one of his index fingers.

Ref abruptly tilted his head back, then clamped his mouth down upon the man's finger, taking the chance for all it was worth to taste his skin, suckling in a rather provocative manner…

Much to Kazuma's surprise!

Upon removing his finger from the hot and wet interior, pulling what was his back, to which then tall, dark, and handsome then nipped the tip with his teeth. His black haired friend's reaction to his own caused tingles to travel down his spine, as well as exciting illicit sexual thoughts into his already entangled mind.

The redhead never felt so self-conscious before as he did now.

"Handling important affairs." was Ref's answer, which followed seconds later after that little yet stimulating performance.

Kazuma was beyond being shocked, needless to say, his mouth gaping, evidently tongue-tied.

Uh, huh. So the dark haired man was a "freak", too.

The dark god eyed him carefully, and he was awfully conspicuous about it as he did.

Kazuma fumbled mentally with himself, his mind reeling as he frantically searched around for any type of distraction to pull him away from the ideas that forced their way into him.

That's when he caught the gleam off the head of the ax from the corner of his eye. The Dark Prince was holding it steadily in his grasp, in the very hand that was part of the same arm he was using to embrace the psychic with.

Subtly, he reached over to try to snatch the tool back from him, trying his best to be as sly about achieving the endeavor as possible.

But as he went for it, Ref immediately moved it away from his itching hands by swiftly exchanging it into his other hand with one swift toss and catch.

With a low growl, Kazuma frowned, practically disappointed.

"I told you, I'll take it from here." Reficul stated with a snort, being adamant upon his decision, twirling the ax beside himself in his hand like some meager play thing.

"Fine!" Kazuma spat at him, flustered, and feeling as though the man was being as coddling as his often overbearing older sister. Tetchy man, he is.

After pulling away, the psychic then marched away and disappeared behind the door inside, then again, he came back out in less than two minutes later, carrying a pair of scissors.

The dark god watched him as he made his way to the garden, the psychic snipping a few sprigs of fresh lilac.

The lilac was for good luck, spiritual aide, and wisdom, as well as it being a great calming agent and it helps that it also smells quite pleasant. The aroma of lilac will help counteract the stink of the burned sage, so that it won't gag everyone else off the property once he has finished ridding the place of negativity and bad juju.

And as messy as it may sound, the cinnamon needed to be to be sprinkled, applying the powder upon the floors, alongside every wall, and the bay leaves in every corner of every room.

Cinnamon is a very versatile ingredient, used for all sorts of purposes in positive magic; such as good luck, prosperity, stimulating psychic powers, love, strength, success, power, and even protection. The bay leaves will help keep out intruders.

"Don't. Say. Anything." Kazuma warned whilst turning an eye to him, still in the process of taking as much lilac he was estimating in needing; obviously fearing that the other man would put together smart remarks against his manhood.

Reficul chuckled darkly, his laughter infused with growls and a snort; a snarkle, sounding guttural and more beast than man. And much to the psychic's discontent, he gladly took the opportunity that had been presented without much regard or hesitation. "But of course, Princess."

**…TBC…**

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**Author's Comments:**

Sorry it took so long. I actually had a little bit more to this chapter, but then I realized something… I really did not want anyone else to take away this moment. Yes, I said it would be a Part Two-er… But looks like it's going to turn out to be a PART THREE (or four).

My apologies if nothing in this chapter makes sense.

Oh, and by the way, Ref is very much a…growling kind of man. You can of it as purrs or something, because he also growls when he's pleased.

Now, to answer reviews…

KM17: Shizuru really doesn't trust anyone, more so nowadays than ever, or so you will eventually find out. She's like this for a reason. She practically pretends to trust them, always cool as a cucumber.

Saya: Of course his sister cares, she will NEVER stop caring. She loves him, even though she won't admit it. And thank you. I read and watched Genkai and Toguro's story repeatedly and picked it up. I noticed these things by studying the body language and behavior. And he was a good man.

Thanks for your reviews, both of you.

And please continue to read and comment. I hope I don't lose anyone. I know the story is long and taking forever. I don't want to rush things. Too many stories are rushed, and not only that, but this is somewhat of a Spin-off (my take on it) of YYH. Not something that needs to be rushed. And Kazuma is the main character in this story, so the primary focus is on him (though you will see us focus on some of the others once and awhile to help build up the story).


	28. Chapter 23 3

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

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**REBOUNDS AND BLISTERS: PART THREE**

It was now nearing midnight by the time Kazuma had finished up both cleansing the place and bathing Irei.

Irei was now in the hands of Botan, who had kindly stepped in and volunteered in readying the child to turn in for bed. How kind of her to offer her assistance, for Kazuma desperately needed some kind of break, at least just a tiny of a fraction of one, in this seemingly perpetual night of affliction. Surprisingly, she seemed to be dealing with this far better than any other he's ever had the privilege to know.

Yes, indeed. Oddly enough, after all this time, the much to be admired for "peanut gallery" had not yet departed from this vicinity, their presence persisting to remain until the last drop of life had been wrung from him.

"Come back into the kitchen," Master Sun said to Kazuma as his student walked up to him in one of the halls. The deity sounded quite nasally whilst he clamped his nose shut, an awkward way to keep from smelling the immense aroma of the burned sage and lavender; he's definitely not the type who's fond of fragrances, especially ladies perfumes which caused the hairs in his nostrils curl as he would cringe. "You must be famished. Renew your strength."

"Actually, I'm not hungry." Spoke Kazuma as he came to a halt, standing now only a foot away in front of the older man. "I'm afraid I lost my appetite back there."

"Very well." His teacher stated with a slight nod.

Kazuma continued on his way, his pace was that of leisure, but his demeanor produced an air of utmost solemnity. "I need to go back to my apartment. I need to gather some of my things…"

Sun Wukong's eyes widened when he heard that.

"But you need your rest! Why not go back there tomorrow?" His dusty golden hair swayed slightly as his perception followed his pupil's movements. "Or at least train and become stronger. I'm afraid I cannot help you beyond my territory. If you do not get adequate rest, no matter how skills you may possess, your body will not be up to par and you will not be at full sufficiency!"

Kazuma froze in place. "It doesn't matter…" He said, not even bothering to turn himself around or even look over his shoulder and back at him. "I am nothing more than a tool, something to be used until my time is up. As for my existence, I am but an insect in this race for survival. My purpose is merely to guarantee that, if all else fails, life will continue to co-exist in this black pit that's called the world." "I knew this day would come, long since before I can remember."

"Boy. Don't be a fool." Sun countered with a doleful yet ire tone in his voice, his laidback posture now tense and stiff, like a corpse when rigamortis finally sets in; at least to Kazuma, that's how he visions it to seem, having known the man for long enough to set such a comparison. "If you think I'll idly stand by and watch you fall into ruin, then you are more of a fool than what that three eyed fireball claims you to be. I won't watch you crumble and tumble away like some over-weathered, eroding stone off the face of a mountain!"

As admirable as his pupil sounded, Sun Wukong knew that such speak was done by those who's soul was not at all well at it's roots or core. Give the deity some credit here. He may be the Monkey King, but he was no mere fool and he had plenty enough experience to recognize when a person believes that they are insignificant.

Which was considerably odd, because before these people from his past showed up, everything seemed to be dandy with the psychic redhead. Last week, the man was positively radiant, and though he was shining more now than ever, the glow he possessed was almost as ominous as the spirits of the damned.

In short, powerful but sickly, dismal, and negative, as though some outer source was contaminating his light, and yet that light appeared all the more intense, more than it ever was. What was once an immaculate white, was now shades of grey in that shape of billowing yet wispy clouds, containing only remnants or shards of his previous color which sparkled like diamonds and ribbons of silver. The glow around his form, or what is commonly known as a n aura, appeared rather anomalous.

All this talk about this Yusuke fellow must be seriously bringing the man closer to "World's End".

The two of them definitely lived in separate worlds, but unfortunately those worlds were perpendicular to one another, which meant that they weren't that far apart as one would suspect or hope.

Kazuma possessed a light that was unlike any other human in existence. His light was bright and immensely powerful, he contained enough light that it often rivaled against the moon's. His pupil's luminosity and aura was unlike any that the Chinese deity had ever seen before, that is, to the exception of one individual from his own distant past.

Though he was gifted with the ability to see auras himself, whenever his pupil ever stayed the night in his domain, he had no choice but to shut his room, put in the ear plugs, and wear, and wear a primitive version of an eye mask. What he used to plug up his ears was either cotton or cork. Why did he wear them? Because his student had the tendency to mumble and talk to himself, having a complete conversation with something or someone that only HE knew was there. The boy talked to the dead like the living talks to another living person. It was not at all schizophrenia, or at least one would hope.

"Great heroes never win." Was his answer. "Not without a price."

And as Kazuma spoke, his tone lacked all feeling.

"The greatest ones gave their all, not to mention and especially their lives. Only the fortunate will live to see the next sunrise, while the rest are turned to ash, blown away by the wind of the night. Ghosts in the fog. All that's left is a chill, a presence, and the memory of someone that was once there."

The Martial Arts Master had been rendered speechless. Upon squinting his eyes at his student, he tried to decipher or figure out where this had all came from.

He had spoken like a man who sought after his own salvation, seeking it all alone rather than depend upon the others in his team or rely upon good ol' fashion teamwork. Either way you look at the two, it was all the same… Not one for unity anymore, due to the unfortunate circumstances of his past and how he had been treated by his fellow cohorts, Kazuma was NOT a team player. Those days were dead and gone.

He was "The Lone Samurai", just like in the legends told to young boys.

And as plain as day, Sun Wukong foresaw how his pupil wanted to tear a BIG hole into their infatuations as them all working together as a whole.

Hiei wasn't the only one who wasn't a collaborator in both power and force. In fact, Kazuma didn't tolerate anyone's assistance, none whatsoever, when fighting his own battles. He was going to fight and he was going to do it alone, for if it was any other way his honor would be at stake.

Kazuma was stuck in his ways and it was not going to change, even in the face of how much he has improved over the years. Such ways come naturally with age, and who you become as an adult you stay until the day you expire. Though that often did not withstand the fact that people commonly change throughout their entire lives, though they normally settle in their own ways by the time they reach their middle ages. But then again, this did NOT include everyone in the world since everyone was and still is their own individual.

At any rate…

Sun was waiting for the time or day when his student will tell the others to "Just stay out of my way!"

For you see, the orange haired psychic was an awfully stubborn one, more so now than he has ever been.

"WOW, Kazuma!" Koenma spoke up all of a sudden, appearing instantly out of thin air. His sudden appearance caused the detective to suddenly freeze in his tracks, only then to bolt around to look at him; as though the brown haired deity's voice had caused something else to stir up inside of him rather than startle him.

The Chinese Deity decided to stay out of this one, slinking and slithering off into the shadows. If shit should hit the fan, he did not want to be a bystander when "the package was opened".

Actually, Sun quietly snuck out of the hall whilst this had unfolded, while the two were distracted by one another, exiting the shrine itself by creeping and sliding out of a nearby open window.

Crafty, but pathetic.

"I didn't know that you were capable of being this DEEP!" The Reikai Prince continued, being the only one of the two to have not noticed the other deity's triumphant "ninja-escape". "Who woulda thunk! I swear, I keep learning more and more about you… And I dunno if I like it or not."

"What? What're you doing here?" Kazuma demanded as he gritted his teeth, snarling somewhat at the one with the "JR" majuscules upon his forehead. The baby had took the form of an adolescent once again.

"Cool yourself down! Yeesh!" Koenma counteracted as he raised his hands up to signal the psychic to back down. "You redheads and your tempers!" He paused as he let out an exaggerated sigh, a careless display of his own discomfort of the heat rising in the situation. "I couldn't help but overhear that you are planning to go back to that zombie infested metropolis… And it's got me thinking 'Gee, that's reckless!'"

The brow on Kazuma's face furrowed, right eye twitched as he jerked his right arm.

Unknown to anyone else but him, a "malicious spirit" was trying to cling itself onto him. The spirit was diminutive in size, but size was never a factor, power was. And despite how much he would fumigate his environment with deterrents and smells that should and often exercised negative spirits and energies, these creepy little buggers refused to leave him. They always stayed, as though magnetized by his own essence…

…Their eyes were hallow, teeth and talons as sharp as needles and razors, and their overall appearance was that of the macabre. In other words, "death". Their touch could burn a man, all the while sending sensations that were a mix of tingles and a really bad itch. Everyone has their monkeys, and well, he assumed that these were his own…and they refused to cease in riding his back.

[_Yes, you guessed it. These were the ones that attacked his would be "father", to the point that it had caused him to ultimately decide, after all these years, to divorce his mother._

_Every human has a guardian or a Spirit Guide, that is, except him. Shizuru and his mother had their's, hell, even that asshole who abused him had one, and even his gang. Yusuke used to have a guide as well, but as soon as his demon nature had awakened, the guy immediately retired or forfeited his position and went back to Spirit World._

_…Demons don't have guides. However, if they are fortunate, young demons may possess advisors which are typically hired by their father before them. But they are no mere spirit, since they have bodies of their own and are as "mortal" as the one who they are overseeing…_

_Quite uncanny, really, and it's not like he never tried to contact this "guide" of his before. He just never had one, so he had came to notice. Unfortunately, he was never was assigned a personal guide from the other realm. Instead, his "guides" were these would-be demons, and unlike the other demons he has met, these were bodiless and often formless, their energies often scattered about like marbles carelessly poured onto a hard surface. Difficult to pinpoint, futile to try to eradicate._

_He might as well assume and call them his guides. As horrific as they were, these little bastards often heed unto him warnings and always proved themselves to be right on every issue. He just despised how they would creep inside of him, crawling all over him, seeping under his skin, into his mind, hoping to govern him whenever they believe he lacked the common sense to heed their words of advice. They always knew what he was thinking, as though permanently attached to him, a part of his own soul, sharing the same mind._

_According to books written by other psychics, they defined such spirits as not only "demons", but familiars, and most of all…Poltergeists. A poltergeist is not a "friendly ghost" as most believed them to be, but a part of someone's soul, a reflection of someone who is still technically alive. Not everyone has these, only a select; i.e. those who possess the power to astro-project and those who can divide their souls and be in more than one place at once._

_If you ever have a spirit, malicious or tranquil in nature, that has a form that can shift and change into anything it desires-and most of all-refuses to leave no matter what tricks of the trade you may use…chances are, it's a poltergeist and not an actual spirit. Poltergeists can NEVER be dealt away with, they are a fact of life and become a person's curse if they do not know how to control them. Not everything that is malevolent or negative is an alien body, and it's a common fact that some people do have personal demons rather than outside entities that haunt them._

_It explains why only he can see them, very rarely would anyone else. He just could not grasp as to why his reflections of himself would appear so horrific, let alone so volatile in nature. They appeared demonic rather than merely shadows or figures of himself._

_And mind you, these little things can grow or expand themselves to sizes or heights that exceed his own, and to which then they can appear rather different in their forms. In these manifestations, they look to be rather Gothic, or more precisely like artists in those "Black Metal" bands, at least in style of dress, and possess swords and other various weapons of their own. One actually wears retractable claws upon both of his hands, which protrude from his knuckles like Wolverine from X-Men. And the most prevalent factor of them all, that they are his, is the fact that they all have his hair-color, curls, and all._

_Their eyes are still hallow and empty, their skin paler than snow, their nails were black as though painted with polish but not, and their faces appeared to be uniquely painted, separating each other from one another in identity. Honestly, they look like a cross between the bands known as "Cradle of Filth" and "Blodarv" and clashed with the ungodly guise of barbarian warriors, and they do give the impression of being something dark and terrible. Ever heard of the saying "looks can be deceiving"? Well, this often wasn't the case with them at all._

_Moreover, they each had a set of wings. They were the colors of a midnight sky, black with an array of aurora-like colors and stardust._

_And here he often wished and hoped that his "familiars" would appear to be more gallant in their appearances and dispositions. Not going to happen, sadly, though they made it quite clear to him that they were skilled combatants and knew how to wield their swords like that of the ancient samurais and the knights that he had became so found of. But still, these buggers could be down right ruthless, more often than not, especially these day; which they have regarded as a "dark age". And they were suspicious of EVERYONE, everyone except the God of All Demons; who they surprisingly accepted without question._

_One, who's physique was quite feminine, seemed to be openly fond of him, practically swooning and fawning over him like a teenaged girl. This one was so womanly, so much that Kazuma had done a double-take the first moment he first set his sights upon him and recognized who and what he was. Hell, his voice was even soft and girly, moreover the voice of an angel, and upon his chest were two mounds that looked to be the shape cantaloupes._

_What was he? Transgendered?_

_…He wore lots of fishnet, all over his body, save for his face and neck, and even wore a sleazy yet elegant dress constructed out of a material that appeared to be either silk or velvet. He had a fondness for feathers, too, and wore feathered boas, cover-ups, or capes. He also wore black leather like the rest of them, though not as much, but his boots were knee-high high-heeled pumps, heels which were metal and a design similar to the characteristics of stilettos. And he always played with his feathers or fool around with his hair, taking the locks and tended to each of the ends to see if they were in ship-shape…_

_Either way, he looked and behaved like a transvestite and was not much of a manly type of figure in any fashion. Sadly, he was also the romantic one, and hopelessly so, and he was the most sensible or "human" one of the group. He was also the one who shared his fondness for cats and kittens, as well as his love for the 80s music; bands like "Oingo Boingo", "Depeche Mode", Gary Numan, and "Pink Floyd"._

_He took to the name "Clarissa Deirdre"; the latter name meant "broken hearted, sorrowful; fear; and raging woman" while the prior name meant "clear, bright, and famous". The others call him "DeeDee" for short, but they mainly referred to him as "Lenore" because they often pitied him._

_How horrible is that? That's just not right, you know._

_Though sometimes sardonic, he was also sassy, but mostly melancholic. And he even dons the persona of a kitten or a cat, purring and growling, and whatnot whenever he's excited or feels the need to._

_And yes, HE IS A MAN. Still. He just happens to be worse than the musical artist known as David Bowie, that is, ways back in his transsexual days or era. Fitting more upon the lines of that of "Rocky Horror" gone awry. He's seen him in similar outfits as the ones Dr. Frank-N-Furter and Magenta wore and it's NOT funny._

_Horrifically, he could pull it off better than anyone else he's ever seen or met, as well as Miyuki; and he can be just as bad as that guy whenever someone else is being prejudice against women or someone with femininity. He was really like Pete Burns from that "Dead or alive" band or Boy George from "Culture Club". Yes, Kazuma knew his music._

_And yes, he wore lipstick and plenty of eye-shadow and mascara, like a woman, or at least that is what it looked like. He was definite like those girly hooker-dudes found in those old Chinese trick rooms, the ones with all those mirrors and bright neon lights; wearing skimpy dresses, sipping on heroin and aspiring to someday become someone's bride to be, but in the meantime is nothing more than a whore, along side with those blind-sighted dreams that they are playing the lead role of "Pretty Woman"._

_Gods help him!_

_However, despite this one's fairly "tame" personality, if you can call it THAT, this one's nature was relative to that of "Jekyll and Hyde". In fact, they all were, really. And they all wore pieces of medieval yet intricate armor of some sorts, grisly yet detailed in design, all wearing these pieces without fail especially upon the shoulders, forearms, elbows, knees, shins (over their boots), and over the chest region where the heart is located (if not over the entire chest itself, over the pictorials); including…the girly one._

_They were more ghastly and frightening than Bui and Karasu combined, that is if you could somehow clone the two of them. And that says something._

_The one with the metal claws actually wore a CAGE-like mask over his face and head, hiding not only his facial features but also upping the ante upon the horror factor! And behind that iron cage, was yet another yet appalling mask that was perfectly planted and stuck upon his face, as though magically glued there, or so he was told by the others; one that was made out of bone with teeth that could shred into flesh like it was simply Jell-O. Picture that, will you. He wasn't sure if he should figure it to be a blessing that this one wore shackles and chains around his wrists, ankles, and one around his neck. That humungous and terribly long blade of his surely raised the psychic's suspicions as to whether this one more beast than man. His eyes blazed like infernos, exhaling smoke every time he seemed to breathe._

_He was perhaps the one who had attacked the demons, though the straightforward wit was not his own but another's. In general, he had the psyche of a of a heartless and cold-blooded killer, with a rage that was chaotic and uncontrollable. He had no conscience whatsoever, and killing on the fly was merely child's play to him._

_On the bright side, at least he did not rant and rave like the rest. In fact, he did not speak at all. The greedy one and the one with the individuality of a "green-eyed monster" were the noisiest of the bunch, after them it was another who was rather immodest and prideful. The He-She was the lusty one, so he came to notice. And there still were others, too._

_Along with their negative sides, nonetheless, they had positive ones as well._

_It was the envious one who was the spiteful one of the bunch, scornful as hell, not to mention that he had such a mouth on him. He was the one who promised a gruesome death to anyone whom he happened to dislike or spurn. He was more grudging and miserable than anything else, really, perpetually swimming in a vast sea of disdain. He was the angsting brooder of the faction, more like "wangst", which is essentially angst gone wrong; OTHERWISE KNOWN AS "the whiny bitch" himself. In his vision, life isn't at all fair and he gladly plays on it, harking that same miserable yet odious tune that one can find uncannily whilst listening to songs written and performed by Korn._

_This one referred to himself as "Odile", which was both a woman's and a man's name. Like Clarissa, he, too, had a feminine side. The only thing with him is that you could not tell what the hell he was, male or female._

_The meaning behind the name was "fortunate or prosperous in battle", but the feminine version was "rich; wealthy"._

_The Greedy One was named "Vladimir", a name which sounded like it belonged to a bloody vampire from Hell. A lot of great people, both the extremely talented and the notoriety. The name meant "renowned prince" and "to rule with greatness"._

_The Prideful One was named "Nicholai", the meaning was "victory of people"._

_The Silent One they all called "Aglaeca". Kazuma didn't bother to look that name up, too anxious to know what it meant. All he knew is that it belonged to fictional characters, used more specifically to define one with a villainous role._

_Another had named himself "Morpheus", after a Greek god who appears in one's own sleep._

_And another was "Wulfric", who happened to be one hell of a crazy S.O.B., in his own way since, like him, he actually had some manners. In fact, he could demonstrate himself to be quite proper; somewhat of a suave gentleman, and yet, a sadistically ingenuous executioner. Clean and professional, but nevertheless dangerous._

_In truth, he was mind-numbing, and no amount of courteousness could change the fact that he was relatively cold and callous in behavior, let alone unfeeling and aloof…_

_…His function reminded him of a huntsman slashed over with a hitman, to which the latter he fit more upon the lines of being. In short, an assassin…_

_…Worst of all, he always tried to talk him into the detrimental pleasures of smoking and drinking liquor, and he was always toying with his mind. And he was always hungry and thirsty, too, and yet he was rather thin and lanky. He was the only one who wore gloves, fingerless gloves._

_He had a seemingly perpetual pokerfaced expression, even whilst exhibiting his sarcastic wit or whilst resorting to chicanery. Even Hiei smiled way more than he did! Morpheus was another who didn't smile._

_Furthermore, Wulfric was apparently "the smart one" of their little group, demonstrating his intelligence with the use of big or small yet complicated words. Nicholai was another sharp one, though his brains circulated around politics and how the worlds tick. Both were very vigilant, swift, consolidating, ambitious, self-confident, deliberate, and long-ranged thinkers and fighting machines. But Wulfric was logical, and extremely so, while Nicholai at least thought outside the box. Morpheus was the strangest one of all, spoke of the strangest things, all to which was very philosophical and disconcerting._

_And while Clarissa presented cat-like behaviors, Wulfric's was more a wolf's or a cougar's._

_By the way, for one odd reason or another, none of them had Japanese names._

_Also, from what he has gathered from psychology books, it's never a good thing when something of your mind or a part of you names itself._

_He begged them not to, but they didn't listen much to his discontent. They said that he was being "obstinate" and "annoying". "They" as in Wulfric and Odile, and in that precise order, too._

_He used to not be able to see them, and boy how he wishes for those days of such ignorance of their existence to return. Again, not happening. After all, he was the butt of the cosmic jokes, not to mention the fact that he happened to be "blessed with suck". Being "debonair" or not, he was legitimately tormented. And unfortunately for him and everyone else, his dark side was perhaps "the psycho for hire"._

_He began fully seeing these guys for not even a month's time, though for nearly six years the signs of their presence were rather spotty at best. And they were figures made of solid black, he could not make them out at the time._

_And another place for which he had the unfortunate pleasure of "getting to know them better" was in his sleep… He saw them in his dreams, more often there than in his wake._

_What this meant, he had no clue, just as he had no hint as to why his familiars were as dark as they were. No indicators besides their own incessant rants about his refusal to accept what is true…_

_(Just like his unnerving ability to open and close portals, an ability he had acquired since the discovery of his "Dimension Sword", another gift that just so happened to be a curse. He can sense, see, and hear vortexes or portals, by the way.)_

_…What they are, is who he is as well. Not something he wants to come to terms with, not at all. Somehow, he just cannot cope with that, that deep down he's just as sick, twisted, frightening, hostile, ugly and unforgiving as they are. Not to mention the fact that they were absolutely MAD; off their rockers sorry to say._

_And let's not forget that extraordinarily effeminate one. Oh, how he does NOT want to come to turns of actually accepting that. That he is THAT guy. Gay, yes, but not that…NOT THAT. Anything, BUT THAT. And yet, as of right now, he felt precisely like HE did; how he feels, his emotions mingling in, intertwining or becoming one with HIS. And worst of all, he was beginning to get that urge to put on a skirt or a dress. Something he was NOT going to succumb to. NO, not without a fight! Not if he could help it! It was just SO uke; submissive and passionately so._

_If anything, what that old man of his had taught him, and taught him exceptionally well… Is that a MAN should NOT behave in any manner such as that._

_Put it this way, he had been caught whilst trying to sport on a pair of pantyhose as a kid…and it did NOT end well. Not at all. The man beat the tar-nations out of him and then afterwards disowned him completely, as though declaring his decision verbally to the world. He was torn, embarrassed and heartbroken._

_Shizuru had helped him "man-up" by cutting off his long, gorgeous curly locks and styled it into the manly pompadour that he had became known for; it had been done on his own request. In truth, he had not had long hair since his tween years, age eleven to be more precise, and that was before he really knew Okubo, Kirishima, and Sawamura._

_The ideal of being a "man's man" had been forced upon him, for only these types of men were worth something genuine. A effeminite man was not worth the spit or loogie hawked onto the ground._

_Anyway…_

_Nevertheless, they kept insisting that they were extensions of himself. How many there were, he had no clue and neither had he taken the time to actually count them. Quite frankly, he was afraid to._

_They despised Yusuke with a passion, more so than he does or could ever dream of feeling, their sentiments were as dark as a great black pit. They were riled by the mention of him, their blackened eyes somehow burning with such animosity whenever someone mentions his name, along with growling and seething as they gnashed their teeth; like foul tempered goats about to butt their hands onto their next target._

_Their answers for their rancid behavior was merely this response; "He hurt you, never forgive him. Never forgive those who have hurt you. Never forgive, never forget. Only a fool would do such a thing as to ponder upon offering of any sort of forgiveness. He hurt you countless times before, what makes you think he won't hesitate to do it again!"_

_Though the girly one's answer was reasonably different; "He had taken my heart, ripping it from between its padded crimson walls and out its cage of cartilage and bone…to which then he stomped upon, causing it to rupture and bleed as it thudded upon the merciless freezing ground upon which he stood. He finished his malignant venture with spittle, and that bitter taste still haunts my tongue and the flesh upon my osseous matter. Beyond what any eye can see or foretell, he had carried out his conspiracy with such poise and merit, but also tagged with reckless abandonment. He is my bane, the point of asinine of my life. The koorime is not much different than he, but her was an utter travesty. This beast restrained within a cage aches unbearably… Do not be foolish to give your heart so easily. It has suffered enough and the damage has yet to heal."_

_Yes, this one was quite poetic, too. However, he often argued with the notion as to how he really felt about the man. He really had no right to possess such intimate feelings towards the guy, especially since the demon half-breed already belonged to someone else._

_But what they had said was true. There's no way around that._

_Their relationship with him had evolved before it suddenly had plummeted, like a stone into deep water. And he was tied to that stone that was sinking, while the others had swam free and breeched the surface._

_His old friends were not friends, but friendly enemies. Frenemies._

_…They didn't trust the others, either, especially the other demons._]

"Yes, I concur…"

[_Speak of the Devil._]

It was none other than Kurama.

The fox and the fire demon had decided to join in on the conversation.

Although the shorter youkai seemed to be more reclusive and in a pensive mood, more than he typically is on a daily basis. He did not stand so close to his friend as he usually did whenever they were together.

If one were to judge these souls based on their outward behaviors, as of right now, one would think that Kazuma and Hiei were on the same page and perhaps from similar molds.

In all probability, perchance that is why they did not get along so well, because they were too much alike. …More so than either of them would like to admit.

More like Hiei than ever, Kazuma was no longer the type to get down upon his knees and beg like a pathetic little twit. He stopped doing that six and a half months prior to leaving them all behind, in the dust if you will, but it became all the more official once he was out and about on his own. After Yukina had broken his heart, he had stopped trying to impress anyone. In fact, after his would-be-friends had laughed at him, he had stopped caring altogether. He was not about to stand in their shadows any longer, neither would he kiss the ground upon which they stood.

He was like that hapless rooster from that story "Rock-A-Doodle", when all of his other barnyard friends laughed and made a mockery of him when the sun had risen without him. And now here they were, all trying to bring back the sun, because it had not shined since he had left.

Well, isn't that a pity. Because he was not going to come back. No one on this earth, not even a kitten, could change his mind about that. And none of his new-found friends were going to talk him into going back with them, either. He was better off here than with them.

Make no mistake, Kazuma could fight a hell of a lot better than he did back then. And the funny thing is, he's still learning. If he really wanted to, he could fight like Nicolas Tse and Donnie Yen. Like Sensui, he primarily used his legs, more so than his fists like he used to, but he also used his hands and arms, too, as well as the rest of his body as a single solitary and intricate weapon. He just did not use such self-defenses upon the weak and helpless, devoutly practicing his own self-restraint. He didn't have just a street-fighting style, he had the techniques of both a Martial Artist's and a Samurai's; not to mention the fact that he currently was into Ninjutsu and was heavily skilled in Kong-fu. And yes, people, he is studying Resshūken, though he is still perfecting it.

[_And let's not forget that he knows both alchemy and magick, let alone has incredible psychic powers._

_Also, incase you are wondering about how he can be into all of this at once… He was a lone cop on the field, so he had plenty of time to engage into his interests. He was not always on duty, rather he made it his best interest to try to be. He was still a "rookie" enforcer, and believe it when the papers speak of his dilemmas. Quite frankly, his higher officials busted down onto him for trying to reinforce the law when it had not been his duty to do so; i.e. he had not been called up to lend his assistance. It was the deputies who got on his case the most._]

And he wasn't about to go looking for Yusuke, if he could help it, not until he got everything done to an even keel. Emphases on KILL, but obviously spelt differently.

He was going to murder him. Seriously "show him what for", too.

…His teacher always buried him in endless amounts of work and work outs, up to the very top of his skull. Even while he was away, he had to practice the stuff all the time, every day, whenever he had the time.

Hey, it helped with blocking the memory of these guys out. And also helped him block out the world, though whenever anyone was in dire trouble he knew right off the bat.

"It wouldn't be wise if you did return to the city." Kurama continued, not at all heeding to the deathly look he was receiving from the psychic. "I advise-"

"Pardon me!" Kazuma interjected, cutting him off, not wanting to have to hear what he had to say. "Am I not the designated captain here? That's funny, I thought I was the detective, which makes me the boss of the team. The skipper. …That is, if there is a team." He huffed, his orpiment eyes flashing. The fox was treading upon dangerous grounds, because as of right now the two had not reestablished on any friendly terms with one another. "Anyways, I don't need your opinion. I can well enough take care of myself. I am not, nor was I ever, a helpless child."

He then tilted his head slightly downward, the shadows upon his face causing him to appear all the more menacing as well as his hooded eyes.

"Also, learn some respect!" He told the other redhead off in a cutting tone. "…Because if you don't show me any, expect the same in return."

Kurama took one step back. However, he was not willing to be the loser of this argument. "But the place may be swarmed with ghouls!"

Though he was impressed with the psychic's spine-tingling temperament and rare "eat shit and die" attitude, Hiei remained ever silent and retained that deadpanned expression of his. He is the frigid one, after all.

Whether this was all a front, none of them had a familiarization with it. Their fault for not having realized that this side of him existed sooner, especially since this was how he regarded all of his most reviled enemies in the past.

And yet again, this man was no longer the half-witted joker that they once knew. He was no longer "the kidder" or the one "after someone's goat". He was stone-cold serious.

One could say that they all had truly ruined him. Well, at least the old one. They murdered him, whether they desire to know that or not.

Truth be told, no one but Hiei and Shizuru would accept those facts as reality, being that both happen to be REALISTS; which meant they took life as it was rather than believe in silly idealistic dreams or fantasies. The rest of the dysfunctional team, minus the obvious ones, were idealists.

"Inferi, you mean." Kazuma corrected, purposely changing the subject to some extent. "According to The Wizard's Manual of Magick and The Grimoire…"

Upon his mentioning of the name of the tome of magick and information, the second one, the others eyes had widened significantly. All three of them were both shocked and horrified.

The Necromicron was NOT a book for the simple minded and was usually read by those with malicious intent. The Book of The Dead was also The Book of The Wicked and had a nasty reputation similar to that of the "Chapter Black" videocassette.

The psychic continued onward with his explanation; "An inferius is the dead body of a human reanimated by a Dark Wizard or higher power, similar to a zombie. Or a ghoul in this case. They have no free will, and cannot think; their purpose is merely to serve as puppets of the one who's controlling them. Ghouls have free wills, though their only purpose in life is to eat the dead and prey on the weak. Inferi are puppets."

Koenma stared at him in shock. "Since when have you been reading The Book of The Dead?"

Kazuma was silent for a brief moment, as though gathering his own internal strength before he could be able to convey an answer. "…Right after Sensui had allegedly perished." His eyes held such darkness, hollow as though he was dead.

Koenma had caught this look better than anyone else in the room. He recognized it, because it was the very same look he saw in Shinobu's eyes before he had disappeared for the first time.

So Sensei had left a major mark on him after all. There was a chance, but they did not know how significant of a chance it might have been, that he had seen "Chapter Black". Now it was clear, even though it remained unspoken of, Kazuma had, in fact, seen what had been on the tape.

This stroke trepidation into Koenma, an uneasy heaviness that was lined with concern laid over his chest like a ton of bricks. If he had known back then that this had occurred, he could have erased the memory of it from the psychic's mind. However, being that so many years have passed, it was now far too late for that.

He had not thought about it, really, which had been one of his biggest mistakes. There's no doubt in his mind that Kuwabara had psychologically suffered all these years, tormented by the horrendous images that plagued his mind. He wished the redhead would have said something, rather than deal with this alone. He had been so quiet about it, not once giving the slightest hint that something had been bothering him.

Apparently, he was not like most people, he didn't break whilst watching that film. Instead, it seemed as though it was slowly taking it's toll on him, breaking him down piece by piece. It didn't matter how strong a person was, what had been recorded and set in that tape were crimes most heinous and unspeakable, all to which had been committed by the human race. Anyone and everyone would crack after have seen, even just ten minutes thereof, what was on that film.

What was on there would change a person FOREVER.

How much he had seen, the Reikai Prince wasn't sure. However, Kuwabara had been held captive for nearly half a day or more. There's a possibility that he had seen the whole entire film at least once.

But also in those haunted orpiment eyes lied hurt and tragedy.

What else had that monster done to him?

For what reason that had suddenly entered his mind, Koenma immediately felt sick. In addition to this, he wasn't so sure anymore if Kuwabara should be in any of this. But unfortunately, that was not in his power to make such a call.

No, that lied in his father's hands, who was the only who could make such a decision since half of his privileges had been revoked. He couldn't get Kuwabara out of this even if he wanted to. His father was insistent upon making his own decisions and was far too stubborn to change them, not to mention the fact that he did not care whether one of his hired hands had suddenly had his or her own life terminated. The man was bent, even to the point of making sacrifices on another person's behalf.

Kuwabara was in this all the way, stuck in between a rock and a hard place, and there was no one who could be able or be eligible to get him out.

"Reading such macabre and dark literature is a perilous venture," Kurama scolded, taking the task to give the other redhead a "slap on the wrist" for committing such foolishness. "The motives behind that power is unwarranted. Only a fool would mess with such dark forces-"

"Thus speaks the demon who uses dangerous plants to do his bidding." Kazuma retorted irritably, cutting the other redhead off yet again. "I already know about such practices being designed by The Fates, with repercussions entailed. But as the saying goes, fight fire with fire. And unknown to any of you, I've been studying the use of Magick for years."

He had stated that as a matter of fact, and it was, throwing the obvious at them to its full extent, for the naked and oblivious.

The fox frowned, feinting the expression of having been wounded by the man's words. "So, what you're saying is that you're no longer just a psychic…" He paused, pretending to dwell upon his choice of words. His tone absolutely acrid, causing the sensitive to shudder and wince as though being hit by projectiles that were knives carved out of ice. "But a warlock, as well?"

Kazuma's frown deepened.

Unbelievable. The fox was treating him as though he had been caught smoking crack, like he was hording stashes of drugs lawlessly.

But Kurama saw the problem, the supposed issue, not the person. And it was rather disappointing.

Koenma looked over at the fox demon, not knowing if he should be agreeing with him about his formal statement or shaking his head in disproval for how he was approaching all of this. But in any case, what he had just said had been uncalled for.

It was not what he had said, really, but how he had said it.

Who knew Kurama could behave so heartlessly? And to a friend of all people!

The demigod was beginning to wonder if there was something more to this than what meets the eye. The two were arguing like a pair of women, women who happen to have an interest in the same man.

Wait. Hold on for a second.

Why didn't he think of this before?

They WERE two girls fighting over the same man! …Err. Correction, two men fighting over the same man.

From what he had been told by Botan, Kurama was now Yusuke's best friend, which obviously meant that he had purposely taken Kuwabara's place.

Obviously, Kuwabara had been crushed by that, tremendously so, because now that Yusuke was a Mazoku, the human no longer had a place amongst the group. And Yusuke, being the careless moron that he was, had pushed his human friend aside… Like he was nothing, nothing at all.

Yusuke had placed Kuwabara upon the backburner and had left him there, forgetting him somewhat, but not entirely.

[_His previous detective might have had fallen, but he had landed straight upon his feet, safely for he was in control. The current one was falling just as well…however…he was plummeting in a downward spiral, head first._]

Kuwabara had been replaced. Robbed and betrayed by the two of them.

What one must understand is, is that Kuwabara had trusted Kurama. However, the fox had broken that trust, along with Yusuke, and thus that is why his trust in them both is no longer subsisting.

As for accepting them back, his hands were tied. They had been for all these years, because they were the ones who had tied them behind his back in the first place.

And with something as terrible as that, of course there would be tension between the psychic and the fox. However, he had expected something like this to be happening between Keiko and Botan.

And Kuwabara just wanted to move on, …away from them…

Gods.

Koenma felt as though he should smack himself real good for being so empty-headed. It was his fault, because he had brought them all to this. Kurama was here because the Reikai Prince had brought him here, again, not thinking of the consequences beforehand.

He felt SO stupid!

Meanwhile, as Koenma bit his lip and cursed inwardly at himself…

Hiei thought this all to be pointless and inane. He did NOT care what the oaf did in his own time, let alone care what he did entirely. So what if he read The Grimoire? BIG DEAL. It was no skin off his bones, though it had been at shock-value when the psychic had relayed that he read such morbid literature.

What do you know. Kazuma had not lied to them about being a horror-fanatic, after all, when he had disclosed his love for such movies and fiction way back when they used to be close friends. ...If you could call them that, that is. From where he stood, the fire youkai had no friends, only acquaintances; those whom he didn't trust and those whom he wouldn't dare turn an eye away from-not even an inch of his life would he place into their crooked hands.

With a glare, fire flashed in the psychic's eyes.

"I prefer the term 'Wizard'," He opposed in a low voice, virtually on the threshold of going into conniptions. "Since a the term warlock is a name bestowed upon a male witch who is deemed to be a traitor to his own covenant. You shouldn't use names or terms so loosely. I would think you of all people should know better than to do that, Kurama. Besides, I am SOLITARY."

Kurama stood there as though he was being spoken to by an ignorant child, which his know-it-all attitude driving poor Kazuma over the edge.

But Kazuma was not going to let him. No.

"And before you go proclaiming to me that I'm using powers given to me by The Devils, I'll have you know that these abilities are of my own." He said, rebutting the fox's claims before he could manage to make them verbal. Needless to say, he knew what was going on inside of that other redhead's brain. "I didn't sell my soul to have them. Also, a grimoire is texts concerning the uses of magick, talismans, and herbs, not just summoning spirits. Again, you should know that. But apparently you don't. So before you open your mouth and speak, you better reconsider and chose your words more wisely."

He was really tilling his own grave, trying his best to keep level.

Kurama had became distraught by how he was being spoken to. Not once had anyone ever spoken to him like that, nor treated him in such a way. It put a rather large dent in his pride.

"You should be careful of you read, Kuwabara." He criticized coldly, also being one to not lose a battle of wits. "By the sounds of it, you're already on your way to believing the in the lies spread by those monsters."

Kazuma bit down and gritted his teeth, then kissed them. It was like the man had purposely ignored everything that had been just said to him. Went in through one ear and out the other.

His face twitched subconsciously, as though he had something painful in his eye or as though half of his face was going into a spasm. He was getting sick of the other redhead's impertinence.

Kurama narrowed his eyes at him and sighed. "I wish you'd understand what I am trying to tell you…"

"Yeah?" Kazuma mocked with a snort. He then cynically uttered in a surmountable amount of disgust, as much as he could possibly muster; "Well, I wish I could beat you with a stick and maybe gauge your eyes out with said stick, but we all don't get our wishes, now do we…?"

"Since when did you become so smart?" The fox remarked bitterly, the left corner of his lips curling upwards slightly as he brushed his luscious red locks off of his shoulder. Oh yes, he believed by making such a comment he had won this war.

But unknown to him, Kazuma was about to surprise him, by drawing out another card from under his sleeve.

"Since when did you become so prejudice?" He Countered, using a robustly sardonic tone dripping with pity. "And here I thought you were the most open-minded person amongst us all."

The fox's face immediately fell, not at all having expected such a comeback.

Kazuma was notably the sweetest and nicest one amongst them, and here he was, talking down on him like he was something found in a compost heap; like trash that needed to be discarded very badly. _"Fight fire with fire"_ he had said, and he was doing precisely that!

The guy was roasting him ALIVE.

Again, where was the unsubtle and inept goofball that they all used to know? Somehow, they weren't dealing with the same fool for an ally. …If he was an ally at all, that is, because as of right now the fox was skeptic about how he was still on their side.

"It's like he holds a grudge against me, for what I don't know." Kurama said, feigning to be morose and playing it all off as though he was the supreme victim from their little dispute.

_"Touché, witch."_ Yoko sullenly thought with contempt.

The fox had his reasons as to why he hated witches, just as he had his reasons for despising Karma Beasts. In fact, the two were tightly knit together. It was a urban myth that witches worked with demons. No, it was the common man who did such a thing. The problem is, is that people couldn't differentiate between what is a "demon" and what is a "devil". They were not in the same species, not even close. People use the terms WAY too loosely.

Nevertheless…

He didn't know how badly Kazuma want to kick his teeth in. He was mildly irritated, but still, Kazuma's worst enemy has and always will be his temper, being the hothead or firebrand that he naturally was.

What is with notably smart people the days? Always putting people under them and putting them down by considering them as halfwits. All around the world, the egotistical "geniuses" tend to always treat others as though they possessed the brains that could not possibly accumulate even half the mind power of protozoan. So what if he, Kazuma, was not a part of his exclusive little after-school clubs. It did not make him less smart, nor did it make him any less of a person.

No, Kurama was flawless. Like Mary Poppins, he was "perfect in every way". And lets not forget how he was considered to be a god to the countless flocks of fans, he was idolized by that of both of males and females all around.

Mind you, this was the guy who cared little for his human mother, in fact, believed her to be nothing more than short of a nuisance. That is, of course, until he grew some feelings and eventually began to "appreciate" the woman. It took her getting terminally SICK for him to realize that, sadly; about how important she was and how she played such an essential factor in his life. And here he was now, being all righteous, being up in his face about it as though the fox was completely moral and utterly untainted-like a lot of self-righteous fools out there.

The psychic detective should know, he had been there before himself, by believing what all humans did, that nothing good can come from demons. But that had came from his own personal experiences, unsettling ones that haunted him both night and day; both in his wake and in his sleep...unleashing internal child-like insecurities. Not only haunted by the unfortunate dead, demons had plagued him mercilessly for years while growing up. Biting and scratching him, tormenting his mind as often as the occurrence of chasing him down the streets on his way home...down those empty roads and filth riddled allies. However, there was no refuge there either. Not at home, not at school, nowhere. He had tried his best to block it out. This was the daily routine of a hapless redheaded boy, one that the good of the world could not see and nor did they wish to. No one cared that he was suffering, not when he was their emotional scapegoat. His childhood and preteen years were the worst by far because back then he had been invisible to the world, to the naked eye, with the exception that he was perceived to be a definite outcast or "nobody", a loser. And nobody likes a "loser", except bullies who often used them as a punching bag to release their own pent-up frustrations.

But one day, after enduring an appalling series of events, one right after another, had lead up to him having one good look in the mirror and to which then changed all of that.

Humans were no different than demons. All the same, but different species with different capabilities. That and that man was bringing his own end, eating himself alive, dooming himself to his own fall. For the first time, he got a bitter taste of how morally corrupt the world has become…

His eyes had officially been opened all the way. Having seen what was on that tape was merely half the journey, even though it had been forced upon him.

The sudden realization had caused him to snap, putting him on at world's end for nearly three weeks, until he was capable to regain both his sanity and composure.

[_He had cried night and day, wailing his lungs out, and screaming for someone to help prove him wrong…to prove it to be all wrong…the epiphany behind mankind's surreptitious nature-_

_Man has a hole in his heart, one which cannot be filled. This little detail played a key aspect as to why humans were covetous and self-absorbed. Both good and bad lies within everyone, man is equally as evil as he is good… Which was governed by something so basic and elementary, choices. A person's decisions and actions, the root of every cause. There's no such thing as "pure good" or "pure evil". There is no such thing as "sins", only cause and effect._

_Knowing this, how can one say what is right and what is wrong?_

_There is no right and there is no wrong, only what is learned, what is conditioned. Everything he had came to know, everything that had been taught to him, was merely rubbish. A way for man to control or harness his nature in any way he may choose._

_Physically speaking, the mind itself is merely an illusion, it's existence cannot be scientifically proven, but it is of the soul; that of which is not seen and what cannot be proven because it is not tangible enough to be scientifically inspected or examined. The brain is merely of that of chemicals, blood, and tissue. The brain primary purpose is to accumulate information and configure it, whilst it controls the functions and regards the needs of our bodies._

_This world and the inhabitants thereof… The living defined the means, what is moral and what is corrupt, from what they've perceived, learned and understood through experiences._

_But how does man know what is right and what is wrong?_

_The answer is simple…_

_Karma. Or as the saying goes: "what goes around, comes around", and as a rule, it does. You do dumbass thing, you'll receive the dumbass consequences._

_Without Karma, man would have already destroyed himself before now. For it is Karma, that keeps mankind in line._

_There comes a time when the physical must die, but the spirit lives on forever. Despite what damage that might have been done physically to a person, the soul forever carries the information-the mind and the heart-with them, even if it's unreachable during their lifespan- consciously… But in death, the information is still there, the imprint, and it cannot be erased or washed away._

_If a way was found, man could retrace his soul's steps and know all that which was in his own past life._]

And during that time, he had been under constant attack. Seeking refuge, comfort, or rest proved to be utterly futile-for the demons who had sought after his life would not permit him any. Attacking him at every turn as well as stirring up the people around him, using their worst attributes imaginable to suit their ill ambitions to be rid of him.

Perhaps he was a threat. Though he could no perceive how or why, other than the fact that he was once a friend of what could possibly be their worst enemy. It was plausible, but then again...

It was nothing new to him, however, since he had always been under sieges or attacks long since before he can recall…ever since childhood. But the things he had seen, the things and tortures that he had endured, had literally blown his mind. He had been reminded again and again of his mortality, the flaw that which all mankind and animal alike is cursed with, as well as his life's insignificance, especially while being part of Yusuke's team.

Anyway…

The fox was once a valued friend of his, but as time progressed Kazuma saw sides of him that were unbecoming, if not disconcerting. Like half-breed, the fox had wounded him, emotionally. Furthermore, the fox's recent lack of respect and devious attitude was getting under his skin, galling like little vitriolic thorns from a rose bush.

The hairs upon Kazuma's neck stood up on end, provoked enough that he felt like smashing his fist into someone's face. Preferably a certain transgressor's face, whom he believed deserved a good bashing.

"No, Kurama. You're wrong." Koenma suddenly spoke up, stepping into their little imaginary arena.

The prince braced himself as he took each step, the bottom of his slippers produced a light clatter; metal soles against hard wood floors. Once in between the two redheads, he turned himself around, his body facing the wall whilst his head was turned towards the fox's immediate direction.

He wanted to put an end to this before the situation grew into something far much worse and into something physical.

"Humans…" He continued, his pacifier bobbling light as he spoke. "Lack the capacity to completely understand Spirit World and what lies beyond it, which is one of the reasons why there are so many religions; it's mankind's own way of trying to decipher the meaning behind what goes on in their world. What lies in Reikai is extremely convoluted, there are hundreds of domains as well as dimensions. Hundreds of gods and goddesses, some more powerful than the highest ranking demons in Makai. To them, the demons are merely pissants." And then with a frown, he raised a hand and pointed his finger at the rosy haired demon. "So, don't go pointing fingers at Kuwabara for his beliefs. And quite frankly, I'm astonished at you for displaying such ill behavior."

Kazuma blinked at Koenma, surprised that the demigod had taken his side for once. Needless to say, Kurama was just as surprised as he was.

"We, us gods, keep the humans ignorant of our world for good reasons." Koenma informed, not really addressing either of the two primarily but to everyone who was willing to listen. "Knowing too much can endanger their entire existence. Take for instance, why humans cannot learn of Makai. If all the humans really believed in demons and knew that their world was next to their own, well, the consequences would be deadly. Not like I should tell you this, though, obviously. But sometimes I think that SOME PEOPLE tend to forget that Makai is still home to the most vile and heinous of youkai, who not only the ones who feed on human flesh but also those who feast upon the negative emotions in the human soul."

After a very brief pause of silence, the prince cleared his throat and then muttered; "…Whether some mean to or not."

The two demons were staring at him as though he had disclosed their most hidden and carefully guarded secretes.

The law that forbid the use of humans as a food source had been passed with success, however, human was still very much on the menu for those who refused to conform to the new rules and regulations. Not something that the rulers of Makai wanted anyone to know.

But Kazuma was no imbecile, not by any means. He already knew that enforcing such a law on such a grand scale was beyond ever being a fail-safe scheme. There's just too many holes. And besides, there is no way for any youkai or any person at all who could take such a decree seriously, not when the punishment is merely a slap on the wrist.

And another thing, there are way more man-eaters than there is of those who are not.

""The spiritual world is obviously powerful. It cannot be seen nor heard, yet it affects everything, and there is nothing important in life that is without spirituality." wrote the illustrious Chinese philosopher, Confucius." Kazuma had spoken up in an attempt to save the demigod's skin as payback, though he was wistfully recalling out loud one of the many quotes his Martial Arts Master had often referred to. It had came to mind, and along with it, brought back a few memories.

Heck, the man even forced him study Confucius's work, which he had no other choice but to comply, or otherwise he would have had to face the deity's refusal to further his training and other lessons. The training was severe, tedious and unsympathetic to say the least, backbreaking and often grueling. According to the ancient codes of Martial Arts, the techniques were more than merely moves for fighting or self-defense, but also an art form and all the more a gateway which opens a man into the very pits of his own spirit- In other words, Kong-Fu was originally and significantly the art of opening and balancing one's own chi flow, to purify the spirit and uncoil that spirit from it's restraints so that it may flow naturally to meet it's full potential.

Kong-Fu, though reliant and extremely useful for the act of self-defense, is not to be used for general violence. One should never use it for one's own personal gain, just as it should never be exercised to bring bodily harm to others for the desires of a good fight.

_"Those who walk on the path of violence, never benefit from anything, for eventually such paths will lead to destruction and one's fall."_ His Master often instruct him during their lessons, incessantly retelling those words, drilling them into his brain almost as often as _"Do not seek for trouble, but let trouble come to you."_

But such words are more often hard to follow, especially if you happen to be one of those persons whom trouble always tends to find you at every nook, crack, and cranny. And in his case, habitually, trouble was sure to come, whether he starts it or not. …Trouble followed him. And there was only so much he could endure before his patience would begin to tilt on empty.

Contrary to what one would hope, Kazuma was NOT a patient man…at least, not much of one, anyways. His impatience often tagged along with his short yet hot-temper; a true red head or ginger to the core of his being, unlike Kurama who was by far an exception for palpable acumens, and people had often inquired if he had Irish blood in him.

"I'm not so ignorant of Spirit World as you think I am," He enlightened sonorously, laying bare vaguely on his cards. "In fact, I already know quite a bit. For instance, I know that the Spirit Realm's system is relative to that of gears, operates much like clockwork, but as you said only far more complicated. Spirit World has a hand every matter that goes on and about, involved in the every day lives of mankind, though the evidence thereof is so tangled up that it alludes the common man…

"…I know of that which is of nymph and man, what is reality, what is merely dreams, and that which is misconstrued. There is more than to what meets the eye. The universe is a vast and complex tapestry, each strand of fabric woven into its design is made up of the tiniest of fibers, each individually playing its part to produce the whole sum. One single thread makes up for that of the human race, while the others are individually different from it while they are also individually different from each other. Without one or the other, the fabric of time and space, what restrains what we understand to be reality, would begin to unravel and eventually fall apart. In short, we are all interconnected, in a chain that forms a circle; i.e. the cycle of life and everything else."

He spoke with such sophistication, again it was hard to believe that this was possibly the same man. Think for a moment, how it must seem to be in their shoes… To see the man who was perceived to be nothing more than a fool, to speak such intelligence. It was mind-boggling.

All three were gawking at him as though he had just set off a bomb in their presence.

"Who are you?" Hiei demanded of him, astounded by his scholarly state of mind.

"Never doubt the power of one's own ability to perceive or understand." Kazuma stated with a smirk, for once genuinely proud of what he was about to state. "I may be human, but like all HomoSapiens and animals alike, I've inherited the ability to be educated. I can be taught."

Hiei snorted at him. "That's what scares me." He dully remarked.

Kazuma rolled his at the shorter man, to which then afterwards he snickered. He didn't know why, but something in what the fire youkai had just said had amused him; the statement had "tickled his funny bone" so-to-speak.

Not one to miss out on a good joke or a laugh, the demigod began to chuckle to himself.

Kurama remained silent, though, only then to turn and walk away from the three of them.

No ifs, ands or buts about it, he was not at all pleased, nor was he amused or enthusiastic about what had taken place this day. To put it plainly, he felt as though he had been bested and perhaps even outwitted by another who was supposed to be a no brained numbskull and a hapless loser-as Hiei had once said "a prime example of what is the sad excuse of the human race".

He was supposed to be the brains of the outfit, not the psychic. And far be it from him, there was no room for the both of them to stick to this operation, at least not whilst breathing in the same air in a vicinity or sharing the same space.

The fox had taken it all in terribly hard and it was too much for his own mind to process or for him to bare. If the psychic wanted him to rue the days of their past, he was certainly doing a magnificent job at it.

**…TBC…**

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**Author's comments:**

Hold onto your britches, folks. There's another part to this. And IT WILL BE THE FINAL PART.

I wanted this chapter to focus on the argument or fight between two certain individuals. If I had written or added more, it might have taken that focus away.

I'm sorry if this story seems to be SO slow, but like all beginnings to a great story (a lengthy one), that's how the beginnings are. And like the beginning of most stories, the information that is needed is provided in the beginning. Most of it, anyway. All that is needed to be known until something else unfolds.

We're still in the beginning of the story, not even close to the middle.

KM17: Ohoho! Yes, he does! Wait until you read the next chapter. LMAO!

Dark: Oh, of course. *grins* Even Ref isn't above it, and he's THE PRINCE OF HELL and the God of All Demons. And thanks!

Saya: Thank you! I try! Oi.

Mwahahahaha18: Awww. Thank you! I see the potential, too. And like many others who have said it, Kazuma's life story and who and what he is has never been explored. I am glad and proud of this fiction.

Thanks for reading! Please review! Love you all!


	29. Chapter 23 intermission 2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**IT'S ALL IN THE CARDS**

_"Cards are war, in disguise of a sport."_

_- Charles Lamb_

**oOo**

_Kuwabara used to love to play poker, but inevitably he ended up preferring to use his cards for Tarot. After the tragic loss of his beloved gang, however, Kuwabara ceased playing poker altogether, swearing to never use his card deck for sport ever again. After he left his hometown, he eventually bought an actual Tarot deck, though he kept two of his most cherished decks; one of them which had been given to him as a parting gift from Koenma…_

**_The demigod had uncannily learned about his hobby, or more precisely his gang's favorite pastime, which had spawned an idea for money grubbing hands… Royalty will be royalty, he supposed, but at least the Prince gave him his deck for free. The cards were more like a keepsake than an actual gift, when you think about it, especially since they all posed to have their pictures placed on them. But when he received the final results…_**

**_Yusuke was "The Ace of Spades": The card of creativity, excitement, adventure, courage, and personal power; "thinking" or the mental._**

**_Kurama was "The Ace of Hearts": The card of deep feelings, intimacy, attunement, compassion, and love; "feeling" or emotions._**

**_Hiei was "The Ace of Clubs": The card of intelligence, reason, justice, truth, clarity, and perseverance; "intuition" or spirit, which rules one's creativity and drive._**

**_…And finally, when he got to his card, to his revelation, he was "The Ace of Diamonds": Which was the card of prosperity, abundance, trust, security, and grounded-ness; "sensing" or what is physical or material, and is also known as the card of "manifestation". Diamonds deal with the physical, with wealth, health and growth. Through diamonds, what is thought, feeling, and spirit becomes a reality, above all a physical one._**

**_Kuwabara flipped through the deck in a fretful manner, his brow knitting in perturbation. "How come Urameshi got Ace of Spades?" He had asked the deity. Not to complain or anything, but needless to say, as uncultivated as he was back then… He was not pleased with the end results. He was a punk, after all, as simple as that and yet he was not quite that simplistic._**

**_For a brief moment, the demigod had merely sucked upon his pacifier. "C'mon, Kuwabara. There's nothing wrong with being The Ace of Diamonds, nor the symbol of the suit of diamonds. Consider it to be an honor on behalf of Spirit World. Many of our own are now playing with exact replicas of that precise deck. I figured I'd at least give you the official prototype to make up for the mess you've been through for the sake of the human race. It's the least I can do for you, since ordinarily there are no rewards or benefits reaped from voluntary detective work."_**

**_Kuwabara sucked in a breath and then exhaled at the cards. The Ace of Spades were the cards that represented the "Swords", but instead he had gotten "Pentacles". Then again, the "Swords" were best known for stating one with powerful energy, but still Urameshi was NO clairvoyant, and neither did he fight for truth or justice._**

_Then again..._

_The king of "Spades" represents a troublesome person who could interfere in the seeker's personal life; this card also represented a person who is an authoritarian, but cold, logical, stubborn, and possibly ruthless. The queen of "Spades" indicates a wicked and cruel woman who is likely to betray the seeker; calculating, disciplined, logical, craves power. And the Jack of "Spades" represents a lazy person who is likely to hamper the progress of the seeker; immature, cold, bossy, a delinquent or a gang leader. The Ace of Spades was the most disheartening representation of them all, for it is a bringer of bad news that leans towards the near future. It could be a possible death of someone or an illness._

_[The negative side of Spades, which is unfortunately the ONLY side the suit of Spades can represent when reading tarot for the sake of guidance..._

_King of Spades: You will either judge, or be judged. May indicate a lawsuit._

_Queen of Spades: A time of female sadness and embarrassment._

_Jack of Spades: If you continue in your current thinking, there will be a fight and someone will get hurt._

_Ten of Spades: You will be left to pick up the pieces after an altercation._ _(This card brings ill-luck to the seeker. However, if good cards surround this card, the effect of ill-luck could be reduced drastically.)_

_Nine of Spades: Disappointment, despair and fear._ _(Number 9 indicates bad-luck, misery and loss of money.)_

_Eight of Spades: Bad news or a crisis, perhaps sickness._ _(Card indicates the seeker would be betrayed by his close family or friends in the near future.)_

_Seven of Spades: After a period of failure, you will begin to see the light at the end of the tunnel._ _(Represents unwanted arguments, quarrels and sorrow likely to occur in near future.)_

_Six of Spades: A trip overseas, either for business or pleasure.__ (Number 6 indicates, the seeker is unlikely to reap success for his hard work.)_

_Five of Spades: Be careful what you say. Your words will come back to bite you._ _(This card represents success in matters of love and issues relating to business. However, the seeker is successful only after a long hard work.)_

_Four of Spades: Step away from the situation temporarily to allow yourself and the issue some breathing room._ _(The card indicates a minor misfortune in form of illness or loss of money in near future.)_

_Three of Spades: Get out of the situation. Run for the hills!_ _(The card number 3 represents unhappiness or misfortunes in matters regarding love and marriage.)_

_Two of Spades: A good and loyal network of people will be there for you during a difficult time._ _(Represents a sudden or an unforeseen change that is likely to take place in the life of the seeker in near future.)_

_Ace of Spades: You will get through this very difficult period, and come out triumphant. Hang in there - a change of fortune is coming your way.]_

_But nevertheless, despite how bad the meaning behind this suit of cards is, the diamonds were the worst spread of the four. Most of the cards within this suit heralds to horrible circumstances and also represented dangerous people._

_Suit of Diamonds Personality Traits: Materialistic, money-minded, on the "egotistical" side, aloof, difficult to know. In certain respects, these individuals enjoy being in the limelight. They are often great performers, business owners, investment brokers/bankers, tax consultants or real estate collectors. They also make great lawyers and leaders, as well as authoritarian or political figures and great protectors; determined, ambitious, sporty and lively. And though they are frugal with their money, they are great gift-givers and providers. However, they indulge themselves in "The Worldly" and "The Material", engaging into every "temptation" presented to them. Money, sex, drugs, etc..._

_Positive Traits: Ambitious, hard working, responsible, perserverance, self-discipline, practical, analytical, neat, industrious, detailed, stable, dependable, conventional, determined and patient._

_Negative Traits: Stubborn, overbearing, unforgiving, inhibited, fatalistic, condescending, possessive, stubborn, materialistic, lazy, fault finding, cynical, shyness, perfectionist, worrying, and critical of self and others._

_…These were the type of people who controlled everything and everyone, as though they had been given god-like powers and god-like responsibility over whatever profession they choose. Either to rule with good intentions or with utter tyranny. This is a person of and with great power, very influential.  
_

_The King of Diamonds represents an evil and dangerous person. The seeker should keep him at a distance. The Queen of Diamonds is a flirtatious woman who is likely to interfere in the personal life of any individual, especially the seeker. Avoid her, if possible. And the Jack of Diamonds is a harbinger of bad news._

**_"But WHY diamonds?" He persisted on acquiring an answer from the Reikai Prince._**

**_Koenma looked at him with incredibility, as though demanding for distinct answers was an act of disrespect and sheer stupidity. "Kuwabara… Diamonds are highly valued, not all are rare but a few of those precious stones are. A diamond is a girl's best friend, as the saying goes." He then sighed, seeing that his orange haired friend was still not at all impressed. "The point is, people love diamonds. Besides, I didn't make the decisions about who gets what suit. I had left that in the hands of our professionals, who went by each and every aspect of character of every individual before making their final decisions. You are The Ace of Diamonds, the highest rank in that precise suit. Technically, consider yourself as the overseer… The Overlord or KINGPIN of Diamonds! You are THE ACE OF DIAMONDS, for crying out loud! Hey, if they believed the suit suited you, no pun intended, then there's no reason to argue with it."_**

**_The psychic had figured that he should have at least been The Ace of Clubs; aka the "Wands". Both The Clubs and The Hearts suits were positive representations and produce and result in good luck, meaning that the purposes behind them were primarily good._**

**_At that time, he couldn't help but feel envious._**

_But nowadays he knew better, much better._

_To break it down further…_

_The Swords were of the element of air, ancestor of the suit of Spades. The suit often has a sinister or violent bend to it as well as relating to the intellectual and to cleverness. One of the two suits that is symbolized by the male gender. His season was winter, he lied in the north, and his hue is indigo._

_Cups were that of water, ancestor of the suit of Hearts. It deals with matters emotional, relationships and romance. One suit that symbolizes the female gender. Her color was that of red, her direction was within the west, and her season was summer._

_Staves or Wands possessed the element of fire and its ancestor was of the suit of Clubs. It deals with will, passion, and power. The other male symbolized suit. His season was that of spring, pointing towards the south, and his color was yellow._

_The Coins or Pentacles was the ancestor of the suit of Diamonds and its element was earth. It deals with the physical, with wealth, health and growth. The Tenth of Pentacles symbolizes "death". Like the cups, this one as well was a feminine or female gendered based suit. Her direction was the east, her color that of green, and her season was that of fall._

_Fall symbolized "death", as Spring epitomized "birth"._

_Standardized by the game world of cards, Spades always rivaled with Diamonds, whilst Hearts conflicted with Clubs. Spades pairs off with Hearts, whilst Clubs teams up and works together with Diamonds. This is how the balance is achieved, otherwise there would be a surmountable amount of conflict that would end tragically; though Spades and Diamonds can team up and become a dynamic yet dangerous duo. Thinking matched well with feeling, and the very same thing could be said for both spirit and manifestation. Both Diamonds and Clubs represented the world of magic, clubs represented one's drive and inner-quests while diamonds represented bringing that something into reality. Spades represented ideology and education, while hearts represented love and family matters; one's own ideology tampered with love makes a much better person._

_The Ace of Pentacles is a remarkably optimistic card which usually heralds an exciting period of progress. Pentacles are primarily concerned with money, physical life and materiality, but they also encompass the cycles of life, of the planet and the human race, as well as home environment and families. The Ace of Pentacles is particularly associated with inner truths… Something that The Wands could put into definite use._

_The Ace of Diamonds mea__ns perfect contentment, prosperity, comfortable material conditions. To have one, means that "You are a very lucky person so be grateful". There were also positive natures or attributes to the rest of this suit as well.  
_

_[King of Diamonds: Mental intelligence._

_Queen of Diamonds: Emotional intelligence. Keeping a level head._

_Jack of Diamonds: Responsibility. Doing the right thing._

_Ten of Diamonds: Prosperity for yourself and those you love._ _Card indicates monetary benefits for the seeker._

_Nine of Diamonds: Success and accomplishment come through using your discernment._ _Number 9 is known as a card of adventure and hope._

_Eight of Diamonds: Success in work and employment. Putting your skills to good use._ _Could also indicate travel and marriage in future._

_Seven of Diamonds: Good professional relationships. Always give a little more than you take._ _Card number 7 indicates ill-luck in near future, too._

_Six of Diamonds: You will receive a lovely gift for all your hard work and effort._ _But then again, early and unhappy marriage is indicated by card number 6._

_Five of Diamonds: Be careful with your money. Make sure you are saving because you will need it soon._ _On the other side, perhaps a harbinger of prosperity and success._

_Four of Diamonds: You will always have plenty of material wealth. Be grateful, and don't get too greedy._ _On a more negative note: Card number 4 invites unwanted and unnecessary troubles between the seeker and his family members._

_Three of Diamonds: Important people will think highly of you._ _However, it could indicate troubles such as lawsuits and legal actions in near future._

_Two of Diamonds: Fun is the answer. If you hit an obstacle or receive unwanted news, think "What is the fun way around this?" Card number 2 is also an enchanting card, indicating serious love affairs, which result in a marriage.]_

_In short, Diamonds or Pentacles were "double-sided" or "double-natured", unlike the rest of the remaining suits in the deck.  
_

_And according to the Dark Grimoire of Tarot, "Spades" were demons who represented thoughts and obsessions. Chalices, or "Hearts", represented dreams and emotions. Oddly enough, The Wands symbolized light and represented creativity and dispersing fears; which does not sound like Hiei at all since he was represented by this suit. And as for The Pentacles, they are shadows, which represent the worldly and temptations._

_Unfortunately, however… The major arcana that represents The Pentacles, is a bit unsettling for most…_

_Because it is none other than "The Devil"._

_Both Capricorn and Sagittarius were influenced by this card…_

_(The Hierophant, also known as "the enlightener" or "illuminator", and The Hermit were cards of the major arcana that also played major roles in the suit of pentacles.)_

_And much to his luck, his Sun sign was Sagittarius whilst his sign rising was Capricorn. His moon was in Cancer, his Mars in Scorpio, his Mercury in Libra, his Venus in Pieces, and his house ascendant was in the Virgo domain._

_[Capricorn being his sign of rising means that this is the sign that is his face of character. At times, he seems more like a Capricorn in outward character, more so than his official sun sign that he had been born under; Sagittarius is blunt, pushy, tactless, clumsy, careless, impatient, exaggerates, and talks too much and yet is honest, charitable, generous, open-minded, straight forward, ethical, and has a good sense of humor. And it didn't help that his official and first house was in Virgo either..._

_Capricorns can be extremely rigid and pessimistic in their outlook; and gloomy and depressed (and depressing) in their interaction with other people. They can also be emotionally cold and inhibited. The prudent and cautious side of the Capricorn nature can be taken to extremes, too, sometimes into the unsociable realm of the miser.]_

_If you ever wondered as to why he had so many issues, now you know why. The signs within his make-up perfectly designed what is to be considered as a "mental case" or "a disaster waiting to happen". He had been born in late November, the twenty-eighth to be specific…_

_(His birthday color was "Aragon", which was not only a province but was once also a kingdom during the medieval period… The color of Aragon was actually quite similar to the hue upon his eyelids and around his eyes; a reddish-brownish rouge, like diluted blood that has been corroded, but is commonly known as "rust" by cosmetologists.)_

_This date was represented by "The Magician" according to in-depth tarot astrology and is coupled with "The Hermit" from the major arcana, not to mention the fact that it also embodies the sign of Virgo. In short, The Magician Card belongs to the suit of Diamonds…_

_(The Magician, The Magus, or The Juggler is the first trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination. In divination it is considered by some to succeed The Fool card, often numbered 0.)_

_[A youthful figure in the robe of a magician has the face of the divine Apollo, the sun god, with a confident smile and shining eyes. Above his head is the mysterious sign of the Holy Spirit, the sign of life, like an endless cord, forming the lemniscates of infinity. About his waist is a serpent-cincture or girdle, the ouroboros, the serpent devouring its own tail. The ouroboros is an ancient symbol of eternity, eternal becoming, or transmutation and transformation, but in this case it indicates more especially the eternity of attainment in the spirit. In the Magician's right hand is a wand raised towards heaven, the sky or the element æther, while his left hand is pointing to the earth. This iconographic gesture has multiple meanings, but is endemic to the Mysteries, symbolizing divine immanence, the ability of the magician to bridge the gap between heaven and earth. On the table in front of the Magician the symbols of the four Tarot suits signify the Classical elements of earth, air, fire and water. Beneath are roses and lilies, the flos campi and lilium convallium, changed into garden flowers, to show the culture of aspiration. The Magician is the personification of a god and is represented by the star that is closest to earth and governs our solar system; without the sun, nothing would be of existence.]_

_…Similar to how the Card of "Temperance" is link with "The Wheel of Fortune"; The wheel of fortune card of the tarot teaches us that luck can change and that fortune is really part of a universal cycle of ups and downs._

_Sagittarius's major arcana card was that of Temperance; Balance, calm, unity, moderation; rendered as "Art" (alchemy); the title being "The Daughters of the Reconcilers, the Bringer-forth of Life"…_

_The Card of Temperance: This is the equilibrium not of the balance of Libra but of the impetus of the Arrow, Sagittarius, which cleaves its way through the air by the force imparted to it by the taut string of the Bow. It requires the counter-changed forces of Fire and water, Shin and Qoph, held by the restraining power of Saturn, and concentrated by the energies of Mars to initiate this impetus. All these are summed up in the symbolism of the figure standing between Earth and water, holding the two amphorae with their streams of living water, and with the volcano in the background._

_Based on The Temperance's card of elements..._

_The force of water is that of Scorpio, The Death Card._

_The force of earth is that of Capricorn, The Devil Card._

_The force of air is that of Libra, The Justice Card._

_And it's force of fire is that of Sagittarius, which was quite the obvious._

_The title pertaining to The Devil Card was "The Lord of the Gates of Matter" and "The Child of the Forces of Time"._

_This card should be studied in conjunction with No.l3, "The Child of the Great Transformers" and "The Lord of the Gate of Death" or simply "The Death Card". They are the two great controlling forces of the Universe, the centrifugal and the centripetal, destructive and reproductive, dynamic and static. The lower nature of man fears and hates the transmuting process; hence the chains binding the lesser figures and the bestial forms of their lower limbs. Yet this very fear of change and disintegration is necessary to stabilize the life-force and preserve continuity._

_Yusuke was born on the sixth of June, much like Sensui was. His number was "six", whilst Kazuma's was "one". And his major arcana was that of "The Lovers" Card and he was "The Queen of Spades". No matter how you look at and around it, "The Lovers" represented that half-Mazoku bastard. "The Lovers" signify both technique and one's own personal means of expression, not just decisions, love and blessings._

_(Yusuke's sign rising was Pisces, which would explain as to why he was so emotionally restrained, not to mention pessimistic, fearful or full of self-doubts, and yet he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his own life if he had to.)  
_

_[The Lovers stand in front of two trees. One tree bears 12 flames for the 12 signs of the Zodiac. The other is the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, complete with Serpent. This tree bears 5 fruits representing the 5 senses. The man representing the conscious mind, gazes at the woman, representing the subconscious mind. The woman in turn looks up at the Archangel blessing their union. The Archangel represents god consciousness, the higher self in all of us.]_

_Perhaps it was befitting after all…_

_Because both the cards and the wonders of astrology never lie. Never, though their messages can often be indistinct._

_Kuwabara, hand in hand, took everything in great depth, as one could tell._

_This was not necessarily a bad aspect of his character, since he was working his way to become the chief inspector of the police department. In other words, a detective. How fortuitous it was that he just happened to be the next detective hired by Spirit World._

_Back onto the role pertaining to the suit of Diamonds…_

_Under a popular system, the Suit of Diamonds essentially indicates financial matters, relationships and their struggles in intuitive readings - as previously stated. The suit of Diamonds is one of the most telling suits in reading ordinary playing cards by this method. Some of the cards are instrumental, if not downright vital, in order to produce an accurate reading. Diamonds are, by nature, cards which signify development, relationship issues and acquisition in terms of their literal meanings._

_Diamonds also were symbolic by other means…_

_…They represented STARS, which represented the very creatures he had been hired to fight against._

_Talk about irony._

_But then again, maybe he was taking this all a wee-bit too far. And maybe, just maybe he was being plum crazy and right out of his cotton-picking mind._

**…TBC…**

**

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**

**Author's Comments:**

Part 4 of this chapter is still in the making, folks. My apologies. In the meantime, I gave you a semi-flash back. What was once a forethought that is now becoming reality.

This post also has something to do with Part Four, though it's only a tiny part. I figured I'd post this ahead of it.

I REALLY had to look deep into this before making final decisions. I had to look at all of the zodiac signs, the traits, tarot, all of it. I was even mathematical about it. Did not want to make any mistakes. It's kind of scary that everything I have written in this chapter matched up well. I am so shocked, surprised by it even!

I decided to post it because I did not want to be distracted by it anymore. I just kept marveling at how this all just added up together, every detail pointing in the precise directions that has been written in this brief part of the chapter.

Oh, and by the way… Kuwabara IS The Ace of Diamonds, as is distributed across the world to millions of YYH fans who happen to enjoy a good game of cards.

I worked really hard on this one. I'm sorry if it may seem confusing.

KuwabaraMikey17: Yes, it is understandable. I can't say I blame him. I believe he has every right to be angry at them, especially Yusuke. Thanks for the review!

Kinnys: Thank you! :) I am glad, because that was what I was aiming for. Humans are smart, smarter than everyone gives them credit for. And I cannot reveal what happens, so you'll have to wait and see where this will go. Hell, I could be yanking everyone's chain here and taking you all for a ride.

Thank you all for reading! Please review or comment!


	30. Chapter 23 4

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

KM17: Sorry about that. I am sure it is difficult to understand. Personally, I study the stuff and it's elaborate. To disclose all of the meanings would not only be time consuming, but also very lengthy.

Saya: *nods* I know. But also on those sites, they informed he was a Sagittarius. They gave different dates to when he could have been born. Most of them chose December 3rd, however, I studied birthdates and the personalities that come with being born on each date. December 3rd, I've come to find out, really didn't match who he is. Not at all. November 28th, on the other hand, did. So, I went with that date instead. I had to really consider his birthday. And I know of the others being in the suit of diamonds, but he is still the Ace; which makes it his deck. By the way, Kazuma's likes and dislikes in regards towards music is in this chapter. And yes, he does listen to music from the USA.

* * *

**REBOUNDS AND BLISTERS: PART FOUR**

_Thirty-minutes ago…_

**_"Please help me… Never leave me. Please…don't leave me… I don't want to be alone."_**

_"You are not alone. Never. Never. You are MINE. All mine and no one else's."_

**_"Who can truly ever love a beast?"_**

_"No one else, but another."_

_Kazuma shook his head as images flashed before him, believing that it must be the affect of inhaling too many fumes from the fire that he had just put out a few minutes ago. Smoke inhalation is one of the leading cause in death. He just hoped that his brain cells were still intact so he could fulfill this mission._

_His last stand.  
_

_"Odd is it not… That despite the fact that brat had been rehired as Spirit Detective… Spirit World ignores such an acknowledgment." Kazuma thought as he began to burn the herbs, the scent of them wafting through the air. Anything negative that was weak in power began to immediately evacuate the vicinity. "Perhaps it had been Koenma who had rehired him, but due to his own father's decisions… Yusuke is anything but a detective for Spirit World." He waved a feather over the dish-like bowl, which helped him direct the smoke a lot better. "But still, everyone views him as though he is the light of the world." _

_They used to be "Smash Brothers", but this was no doubt going to end up like "Spy vs. Spy"._

**oOo**

Kazuma sighed inwardly, but could not refrain himself from allowing his own sense of pride to curl the corners of his lips. The reason behind his sigh was not for the sake of losing a friend, but merely out of heaving out his own relief.

He then scratched his twitching arm, the pestering spirit finally letting up. The familiar disappeared, fading away into the darkness of the hall as this astral projection ceased by becoming one with it's owner once again; which meant that it had returned from which it had originally came.

The Reikai Prince had caught this, though at the last second before it had vanished as though it was never there. He shook his head slightly, believing that he must have been seeing things.

Hiei, on the other hand, had been seeing the familiar since the moment he had entered the room. The instant he had set garnet orbs upon the creature, its own hallowed eyes met his. It then kept muttering a bizarre language that was unknown to him, but he understood well enough that it had forewarned him of what itself was capable of . Concisely, it had been nothing short of intimidating, especially with those jagged teeth and two glowing fireballs that illuminated within those darkened sockets within its face.

The fire demon knew well what these were, though he had never seen them before until now. From what he had been told and from what his third eye had revealed to him… Humans with such capabilities were no mere humans. In fact, they were not human at all, but an entity incased within a human sack of flesh. These things, these additional spirit beings or demons were the familiars of a powerful being, one of celestial proportions. Furthermore, they were an indicator of someone being the descendant of a formidable, if not intolerably powerful, "devil".

Blood curdling? Yes.

Kazuma had the potential to become severely dangerous, much to everyone else's fears or darkest dreams. But it was clear that his precarious capabilities and true nature were still in the embryonic stage.

If no one else did, Hiei knew precisely now what the psychic was. All that was needed now was the recognizable "blood lust" curse that comes along with the awakening, and if that ever comes about, there was no way of continuing to be skeptic.

The thirst for blood and the need for it to continue one's own existence, and to no longer be able to consume ordinary human food without repercussions, will inevitably become the ultimate indicator. Because this is what TRUE vampires are, "children of the angels" and the angels themselves.

That, and the pallid and colorless skin tone of one that is dead. Skin that is so cold to the touch it is as though all heat had vacated the body and dared not to ever return, namely until one experiences a bad case of "blood rage", their heat literally setting your soul on fire. This "heat" manifests from their spirit, not their body. Furthermore, vampires and angels lack having a heart beat, period, which was the most significant sign of life; even the demons have one of those, though their's is considerably different than a human's steady "thumpity thump thump". This is because is because karma beasts, physically speaking, don't have a heart. As for the vampires themselves, though, their hearts have ceased to be of use.

_(A vampires heart is useless. The method of staking a vampire through the chest had been long since taken out of proportion. You were to steak them whilst they were sleeping in their coffins, by doing so, it would enable you to decapitate them whilst they were pinned down. And contrary to popular belief, vampires are not made, but born. It is impossible for one to be turned into a full fledge vampire, because that of itself is merely fiction produced by foolish dreamers and those with ludicrous suspicions. The need for blood is an inherited disease and a curse, not a desire or an act to suit a true vampires own fancy. Everything that humans know about vampires thus far have all been lies propagated and fed by the media. Now, however, humans who have sold themselves and been turned, to say the least, are NOT true vampires. Simply put, they are referred to as "freaks".)_

This would explain why Yomi was so overly polite to the psychic when the two had met one another. Everyone was suspicious of the behavior, and for good reasons why. Most believed that the meaning behind such odd behavior expressed by the ancient demon to be that of seeking to bate and lure the human male down into a life-threatening trap; i.e. to literally have him for dinner. Actually, the demon had even invited the psychic to attend one of his evening banquets, but Yusuke convinced Kuwabara to turn the offer down. After all, it was not often for demons to be amongst the presence of humans, especially the "people eating" variety.

But it was Kurama and Hiei who had noticed the clearer methods behind why he was aiming to entice the human and it implied upon other meanings. In other words, Yomi had came onto him, flirting with the orange haired psychic with deep intrigue, carrying a sign of attraction which had shined from his spirit. Since Yomi had lost his eyesight, his other senses had strengthen immensely, so much so that he had became a different kind of "seer" so to speak.

To be honest, Yomi didn't require human meat as much as he used to. These days, like many other strictly carnivorous youkai, he feasts upon his own brethren. He has no other choice but to, to say the least. But it's not like that horrendous choice of substance ever concerned him, because most of the demons he eats are those whom hate him anyway. Hiei's, Kurama's, and Yusuke's generation tend to try to stay away from "Yomi's kind"; so it had been dubbed for various reasons, one being that he was the leader behind the infernal revolt and of the demons who were described as being "rogues" against the laws. What Yomi has is not a mindset or an addiction, as most would insist, but an actual inherited condition.

And now, the psychic had developed a companionship with the dark god of demons, who happened to be very much a "people eater" himself. He has a long history of not only eating humans but also devouring his own kind, not caring about his reputation or what others thought of him. Befriending the likes of him was considered an act of treachery according to the demon standards of this day and age, though Hiei was sure that the "rogues" would feel much differently.

Both "man eaters" and "blood suckers" could manage to live more in harmony than they would with any other genus.

[_Kurama knew it and he knew it, that Yusuke would not be pleased once he learns of what has become of the psychic. Not to say that the Mazoku Halfling was prejudice himself, but a lot of his key values stemmed off of other demons who were much like himself, omnivorous with no ogre-like tendencies…_

_But it was they who were prejudice._

_They who loathe Yomi's kind; because such immoral acts "his kind" commit had been forbidden. They loathed the devils and the devils' children and servants; specifically witches and vampires. And it was all out of fear and suspicion. And because of the recent uncontrolled fear that now wreaks havoc in Makai, "666 tv" and "Satanic broadcasting" had been terminally shut down, only to give way into another entertainment provider. It was all getting ridiculous, not to mention out of hand._

_As of right now, Yomi was revolting against the laws and those who stood by them, and with reckless abandonment at that. With no longer being permitted to eat the flesh that he so lusts for and needs to sustain himself, he had been driven into insanity. His true nature could not be fought. He had struggled to overcome it, but he had inevitably lost the internal war within himself. The guy is in a state of utter mess and is more lethal than he has ever been. He could not keep the promises that he had made in order to keep his royal status, and thus like the rest of his kind, had been banished from the city and forced to step down from his throne. Both his son and him had been removed._

_Hiei could care less about the fact of what had been going down in the deepest recesses of Yomi's kingdom, but he could not agree more with Mokuro when even she had stated about how "tragic and cruel" it was for everyone to turn against one of the remaining three kings._

_They had sent demon armies to seize him, who also tore and burnt down his kingdom for his dirty secrete; his choice of practice which had been given away by a certain silver fox who still had a vendetta against the demon. The most devastating aspect of it all had been that it was Yusuke who had dragged Yomi from out of his sanctuary, that is, shortly after pulverizing and mangling him. He also had pulled Shura by his black locks, who was trying so desperately to fight back. Yusuke held both Yomi and Shura in each hand, one within the other._

_Mokuro and her men had stared in both shock and horror. Most of her servants were "people eaters" as well, so it was to no wonder why they were so fearful. Though Yomi was her enemy, he had also been her friend. After seeing that, she was devastated and felt betrayed all at the same time._

_When push comes to shove, if she had to, she intends to send her men away to join with the legends of those who were now fighting alongside Yomi's cause, a plot that was unveiling itself and everyone knew it. Never did she dream that anything like this would ever come to be. But unfortunately, like Yomi, her men could not suppress their primal needs, at least for not so long. She was not about to lose her most loyal servants because of some severe and ill-begotten law. Yes, she wanted nothing to do with the humans, but she never signed up for this atrocity._

_Enki's oppressive desire to hold steadfast to his deceased friend's dream was doing more harm than good. In fact, it was in sound mind that Raizen would have never wanted this, at least not to this extent. His desire to no longer feast upon human flesh was merely to honor the death of his lover._

_In Makai, Enki and those who fall under him were now cutting down as many suspicious demons as possible, eliminating any opposition that may rear its ugly head in the future. What scares them the most is the "rogues's" high hopes of finding what they refer to as being a personal "savior". "Rogues" all around were so desperate these days, that they were now seeking both help and refuge from the devils, being that they had no one else to really turn to._

_Some were even crying out to Narakumaru, hoping that their god would answer their pleas and end their plights. Many ancient demons of the day now ached for the era when their god still had his queen, because back then the dark god's mate would give them their god's ear and they would in-turn be at last heard. She was as kind as she was callous. Most importantly, she was "the light" to Narakumaru's darkness._

_They knew well enough who and what she was, more so than any other, that she was literally "The Devil" in the flesh. She was the daughter of none other than that of "Samael"._

_A definite blood drinker she was, especially once she had awakened in the latter years of her existence, but that was okay with her as long as the blood came from donors and of those who deserved to parish. However, she didn't last long enough to receive "blood rage"._

_But far be it from fate, that traitors would be amongst them, some of which happened to be the forefathers of the new breed that is now taking over in power. The demons, these traitors, betrayed their god by snitching to the other gods Spirit World. The gods decided to do away with her, or at least that is what King Enma had stated, but it was also he who had given the direct orders to eradicate the goddess._

_…And in order to do away with her, they had to destroy her body. But as for her soul, it was immortal…_

_So it was Enma's fault that she was gone, more so than anyone else's, though both the demons and the humans were also to blame just the same._

_After her unfortunate demise, Narakumaru had turned a blind eye towards them all who live in Makai, refusing to listen and to pay heed to their cries of repentance. He was both incensed and disgusted with them, which he still is today, so naturally his blood boils whenever he sees them._

_Enki had stricken a deal with some of the cannibalistic demons, however, hiring their aide despite the inevitable consequences which would indubitably in their own extinction in the end. He had given them the permission to devour any abominations in their midst, including the traitors that had spawned them. Moreover, he had ordered to all considerably "trust worthy" demons to destroy any traitor they may happen to find, be it male or female._

_Makai was being painted with a new coat of fresh blood._

_Before coming back here, before returning to human world, Mokuro requested something of Hiei. That if he should ever find or come across a devil, that he must request for it to return back with him… So that it will see the horror that is going down in demon world and rectify it. In fact, she insisted that he should not return less he has finally succeeded in this mission._

_They needed a much more powerful monster to guarantee the survival of all monsters. And what's more powerful than a Karma Beast?_

_Fortuitist for him, he had Yukina to help him upon receiving updates. In addition, he got her to play along with his plot to fool the others so that they would not get any suspicions. She was more than glad to comply. And yes, she had even agreed to end the psychic's illusions of them ever being together, though she knew it would hurt him greatly. Kurama's and Yukina's union together was merely for the sake of receiving answers. Mind you, this was a war and certain things had to be done for the sake of who was going to win in the end of this mess._

_There may be also a war between the gods, but the situation in Makai was that of most importance. Spirit World knows more than anyone that whatever happens in Makai, reflects on everything else, including human world. Funny how Reikai is doing nothing to solve these issues, at least not for the better. What was going on in Makai was a lot worse than Kurama and Koenma were making it out to be, but these are the views coming from those who are on the opposing side._]

Strange how fate works, how it weaves each and everyone's destiny individually. Because everyone's future was perhaps going to depend upon the one individual, that one single person, who was believed to be human and nothing more, not to mention a man who had been conditioned to fear those of the unknown.

Of course, being the investigative three eyed youkai that he was, Hiei knew that Shizuru was definitely hiding something. He did not know completely what it was she knew, but he had his suspicions that she knew far more than she was willing to let off. And whatever it was, it had something to do with Kuwabara's rightful path in life.

Even her biological father and mother knew, but equally they were hiding it all just the same. That old nutcase for a human male tended to smile to himself, time after time, ever occasion he spoke of or listened into matters regarding "acceptance". Oh yes, there was definitely a family secrete, one which was utterly a "hush, hush" and heavily guarded topic…and perhaps even forbidden to speak about.

But whatever it was, this ill-conceived scheme of their's was keeping Kuwabara from finding his right place in life. It was nothing short of a human trying to domesticate a wild animal, which is both foolish and risky.

Either way, it was clear that Yusuke and Kuwabara were meant to be rivals, enemies through and through. Fate itself was behind every single period of time and their friendship that once was, was so that they would be of better acquaintance.

"Kuwabara, before you go anywhere," Koenma said, addressing him after he had tapped him upon the shoulder.

The psychic flinched slightly, on guard for anything else that may come.

"I have something I need to tell you." The Reikai Prince continued, sweat dropping a little bit at how jumpy his detective was currently. "I need to make a run to Reikai to complete some errands. Botan will give me an analyses of your progress. I'll be back sometime tomorrow or the day after. To be honest, I'm not sure when I'll be back… But I'm giving you a heads up in advance. Oh, and keep sharp, finding The Chosen One will be like finding a needle in a hay stack."

Kazuma gave a slight nod, a gesture of gratitude he could only give with the strength he could muster within himself. He was still leery of the demigod, not knowing if he could fully trust him as of yet. He didn't know why, but something inside himself was bothering him; like a bad itch that just wouldn't go away.

After Koenma disappeared, Kazuma attention then fell upon Hiei. The shorter male was still standing there, and in stark silence, eying him as though he was an alien who had just came down from outer space. The light provided by the moon, which gleamed through the window, gave his spiky black main a rather eye-catching indigo hue.

"Well… Aren't you going with him?" He inquired, referring to the fox demon who had left prior to now. He didn't need to disclose as to whom he was implying to, since he knew full well that the fire demon would already know due to his own gift of empathy bestowed by the Jagan eye.

"No." Came an almost immediate answer.

This surprised the psychic. Here was expecting a disgruntled "hn", or better yet, receiving not even two cents from the demon, all to which would be followed by an immediate departure.

But the latter did not come about either, for here he was, still standing here in his presence.

"It would be of your best interest to not trust the fox." Hiei added moments later, promoting Kazuma's astonishment to a higher level. "Watch your back. As for your mouth, keep it shut." He paused, giving the taller male a good look in the eyes. "Because he'll figure you out if you don't, sorcerer."

What in the name of the gods could he possibly mean by that?

If Hiei didn't trust Kurama, then why in hell would he allow the fox to marry Yukina? Seriously. Everyone already knew that the two were twins, so why even risk becoming the brother in law with someone whom he didn't trust? Not to complain or anything, but Hiei did not approve of a certain relationship… So why accept this?

_"Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer." Spoke the wise Chinese general & military strategist, Sun-Tsu._

But if that was the case, then why did he allow Kurama to marry his own twin sister? That question still stood.

He could not help but wonder to himself as to what had exactly been going on between his old teammates and friends since his departure

"You were never a part of the team." The fire youkai continued, staring at the taller man dead on. "You were never a part of anything, especially before this period in time. Not of this world and not of our's. You don't belong here. As far as anyone knows, you are not real. Everything about you has been a lie. You are a lie. Furthermore, you are right to assume that the mazoku half-breed is no longer your ally."

Kazuma's eyes widened. It would seem that the little man was confirming every fear and doubt that had plagued his mind since day one when he had joined into their little click. He supposed that his place amongst their team had been reserved for Jin and the others. His role had been a temporary one, this was the reassurance of that.

"It would be wise for you to heed both your dreams and your intuition."

And after having said that, the demon then turned and calmly strolled out of the room. Strolled!

This little munchkin was one confusing bastard, emphasis on "bastard".

But still… Was Hiei trying to give him a word of advise?

And what terrible advice it was, for what lurked within his head was that of nightmares and insidious thoughts that were running towards the "verge of insanity". In his mind's eye is where "The Boogieman" claimed to be in reign, a domain in which he treaded very lightly. No one could ever realize what darkness lies within, an immense dark that was so mercilessly opaque that not even a mass torches could light the way.

[_Figuratively speaking, you'd be lucky if you could see your own hand in front of you._

_But what was more prominent in this all encompassing darkness, whether you wished to see them or not, were the monsters that lied in wait… The things that go bump in the night, especially one in particular…. A faceless shadow figure, one with extremely long digits or fingernails, razor sharp teeth from hell, and enormous horns that curled forwards… Something that could be only identified, as she had once stated herself to be, as "The Reaper"._

_She was cold, selfish, and possessed what could only be called a "sick sense of humor". Oh, that laugh she had was as spine-chilling as it was deranged, let him tell you. Just to hear it was daunting enough all on it's own. That, and there was hatred. So much hatred and resentment. There was so much odium that it often threatened to take over and spread throughout his being like a malignant disease._

_She was something wicked. Wicked like "sin" itself. The Queen of Broken Misery._

_Like the others, she was very much a part of him, but she never once manifests herself out of Kuwabara's mind. She was the one who spoke most often, more so than the others that plagued him, and had been there with him far much longer than he could remember._

_(Besides receiving great words of advice from a complete and utter stranger; a well articulated yet cloaked woman who not only brought him into the light of things, but also bestowed upon him a trinket of some kind… A locket he had been told that held answers, though they would only be given at the right time…_

_…That occurred the day when he had at last confronted Yukina about her feelings towards him, though not before, but afterwards and the visitation had occurred late at night… He was alone, visiting the burial places of his departed, while the others were busy fulfilling a mission given unto them by Koenma…_

_Both she and the woman were the ones who had brought him here, the ones who had told him to seek out "The Great Master Gong", and the ones who had encouraged him to walk out the door for the last time… They were the ones had inspired him to officially quit "Team Urameshi", though it was already made clear to him by then they he was not needed and neither was he desired…_

_All of this and more, back in that fateful day.)_

_She was also the one who had always told him to never be caught off guard and to never trust those who had the possibility to become potential enemies._

**_"Everyone with a friendly face seems to hide some secrete inside. And the kinder the person, the more the criminal they are inside, for within lies a dangerous mind."_**

_Of course, he had learned the latter piece of advice the hard way. She had warned him about Kurama, but back then he had refused to listen. Not now. Not anymore. But her extreme dislike and contempt for Yusuke was beyond the term "outstanding". Funny, she never did like him, not even once. There was just something about him, something that she refused to speak about but always boiled beneath the surface. She merely referred to him as being "dastardly". However, when it came to the desire at last beating his rival, a surmountable joy swelled up inside of him, filling every fiber of his being._

_Fortunately, his new friend appeared to be anything but friendly. His old gang had been the same way, really. They didn't meet and greet just anybody, that is, when they were still alive. The "friendly kind" were always up to something._

_Alas, despite the fact that, he was considered to be "the friendliest" and "the kindest" one of the team, namely by their foes._

_She always brought the light and shined it upon these truths._

**_"The more good a person is in the beginning, the more wicked the soul will become in the end. Unless there is a medium or a balance of character to which side a person is on, evil becomes good…while the good becomes evil. It's simple. If you were brought up as a bad egg or were mislead in your early life, you become good. If you born good and raised upright in righteousness, you will turn to the dark side. It's all an inevitability, one to which there is no sense in denying…_**

**_"The only thing you can ask yourself is this: How long can you expect yourself to stay afloat before you finally realize that you've been sinking into oblivion?…_**

**_"You can keep pretending, but it will always be what it is… A lie."_**]

He could already feel himself changing. Into what, he had no earthly clue. All he knew was that his back and chest felt incredibly strange, both itching and aching.

Then again… Maybe he was referring to something else.

Maybe Hiei felt the same way about himself, after all, he had always said that he was never a part of their team. Maybe this is why he was telling him that, because he was in the same shoes as he.

However, no matter if Hiei wanted to accept it or not, the others always counted him being amongst their squadron of friends. Again, he was one of them, whether he wanted to be or not.

So… Why? Why would he confide in him and give this sort of information?

Perhaps, as he has always been, to prove to be an asshole and to show that he had not changed.

Besides, there was way too many "why"s and way too many "maybe"s, which lead to many possibilities that one could consider.

But what he had said…was still unnerving, as though there was truth in what he had said. An ultimate and unsettling truth. One that managed to cause sweat pop off the orange haired swordsman in the size of bullets.

From what his mind could register from within himself, he never felt so alone. As though he were thrown away, like trash tossed upon a curve.

There was lonely blood, the blood of a soldier, and it was his.

A true soldier only lives for battle, but once those days are gone, there is no reason to be. No reason to carry on living. He has no life anywhere else. He had no other meaning. Perhaps this explained why he had felt so out of place by trying to live "the normal life".

It would explain why he had abandoned his dreams of becoming a doctor, trading these ambitions in for the life of an officer. A sign that he lusted for adventure and a constant adrenaline rush, as well as a need for violence.

No, this had to be wishful thinking.

_**"Oh, come on. You know the answers. You hold all the answers… They are all locked up deep inside of you…"**_

Kazuma blinked upon hearing that, then violently shook his head. He was hearing voices again. Those disturbing voices that sounded much like his own, only way more creepier. "Hair-raising", to be more precise.

After pushing that aside, no longer wanting to think upon these matters, Kazuma turned to exit down the opposite end of the hall…

But then suddenly, he stopped in his tracks.

"Tell me." He heard Ref's voice in his ear.

The psychic stiffened, shuttering at the hot breath tickling his neck. His cheeks burned feverishly red as his body quivered all the more erratically, causing his knees to buckle underneath him.

"I want to know what he did to you."

A frown formed between Kazuma's lips, the color draining from his complexion.

He caught his breath, which hitched as a lump formed in his throat.

"Nothing." He flatly answered back, then looked downward as he swallowed. He hoped that Ref would take it at that and leave it the rest be… Left alone in the grave of the tormented, dark and dreary world located in the far recesses of his mind.

But the dark god was an obstinate one and one who did not abide by another's wishes.

"You will tell me, Nemo." The dark god probed, persistent to get an answer. "Eventually, in due time."

Kazuma quickly spun around, chagrined and bolstering to give the man a rather profound knock upon the noggin. "Nemo?" He barked. "That name again? Why must you insist calling me that?"

Reficul grinned, his eyelids drooping downwards, giving him that sleazy yet enchanting gaze. "Because I can, Sexy. Or do you prefer that I call you Pumpkin Head?"

Kazuma's orange hair bristled, amazingly sticking up on the top of his head. He stood there, understandably frustrated. Though the compliment and the pet names had delivered a boost to his confidence level, he still lacked the understanding as to why anyone or anything on this earth would find him attractive. Not in the least bit.

Time and time again, as he was told, Yusuke was by far the better man. He was not only the better fighter, but also the most strapping in physical appearance. Just because he now had feminine qualities, much like Itsuki's or Yoko Kurama's, didn't mean that anything before now had changed. So what if he now looked very much like Sephiroth from the popular videogames, it didn't change anything.

He was still the ever loathed, hapless, and unattractive Kuwabara Kazuma. At least in his mind he was. He was still ugly and, in spite of everything, a nobody. Hell, Yusuke was not only a demon, but a prince. And that is something that Kazuma could only dream of being.

_"Wouldn't that be something if it happened to turn out that I was actually The Prince of Angels? That would surely shrink that bastard's over inflated ego-"_

...

_Neatly dressed, both clean and finely pressed, ceased for merely a moment, appearing rather strapping plus swanky in black formal garb. "My name?" He properly addressed, shaking the hand of a gentleman in the midst of a ostentatious vestibule. Then with a tip of his hat, as to display a kind regard, he gave a quite impish gleam of his teeth. He was the epitome of exuberance. "Why, it's-"_

_...  
_

Kazuma shook his head from the image. _"What the hell was that?"_ From wince the image had passed, he had quickly recovered. _"What in the gods' names was I thinking?"_

"If you do that. I'll…" He tried to counter back, stuttering slightly. He paused to think for a moment. "I'll forever remind you about how your voice sounds uncannily similar to that of Till Lindemann from Rammstein and yet is a cross over with Senad Fuerzkelper Giccic, who is respectively the face of E Nomine!" It wasn't a successful comeback, unlike the one he originally planned. But that failure was all in due to those hypnotizing red orbs of his partner. Ref just had to stare at him, and because of that, he had lost almost all of his senses. "…Just so you know," He drawled. "In case you have no clue as to who I am talking about. Which makes you a rip-off of Germany and great German music! So, HAH!" He ended his statement with much melodrama; with a slow swerve of the hips and a most needed finger pointing, using both hands at that.

"Ahh, so you are into Deutschland." Reficul rejoined with a sinister grin, speaking in a thick German accent. "At least now I have a hint as to where I could take you on our own little private adventure. Some of my best work was done in Germany.

Kazuma took a small step back. "Meh! Your voice is all deep and sinister! You sound like the devil guy from those religious horror films! Or better yet, like Count Dracula."

"Well," Ref said in a bit of a laugh, taking a step towards him. "I am called The King of The Damned."

It was hard to tell whether or not he was only joking.

"Pfft." Kazuma scoffed as he rolled his eyes. "Yeah, really now? Well… I am just happen to be a music fan, really. And I'm also into horror films."

The dark god snorted. "Well, since we're involved with assessments, your voice doesn't necessarily ring 'the hero'. Isn't a the voice of a hero supposed to sound innocent or like an adolescent boy who, remarkably, has not yet achieved puberty?"

Kazuma sighed and lowered his head. "The only thing manly about Yusuke is his meaty hands, but those things are mildly repulsive." He stated. He then he began to ramble, picturing the very thing he spoke ill of; " …With that grime and grit underneath his sad excuse he my refer to as fingernails. Does one ever suppose he would consider getting a manicure? I seriously doubt it! They are all crooked and whatnot. You know it never hurts to care for self image. Even a man has to look his best."

"There you go again, forever speaking of that insignificant little waste of space." Reficul remarked with a rumbling growl, all the while nearly completing a full circle around the other man. His ominous tone, tied along with jealousy radiating off of his aura, snapped the redheaded detective back into reality. He paused, ceasing in his step, standing and leaning down by his love-to-be's left ear. "Forget about him."

He seemed very threatening, but Kazuma knew better than to believe that the warning was made towards him.

"Your voice is softer, yes," Reficul continued, raising his head up as he stood upright. "But granted only in pitch." He ran his long finger's through Kazuma's locks, an action that caused the psychic to falter, his cheeks instantly flared up.

"Smoother and more refined, elegant and yet passionate…" The Dark Prince spoke as he trailed his fingers down the man's scalp before capturing a thin yet coarse strand of curly hair, right between the folds of his index and middle fingers. "In other words, eloquent, but still rather hoarse and deep…" He paused as he began to fiddle and toy around with the fiery fibers by coiling the strands around his fingers, and feeling it's texture for merely suiting his own purpose. "You almost speak as though you were the wind, if the wind could utter at least one recognizable syllable. Gentle but stealthy, yet strong and relentless on other occasions, but forever fickle and mutual, never fixed. The wind might howl, it's voice can be the loudest, but it also bites and is invisible to the naked eye. Thus, it is the most difficult foe to conquer…"

Kazuma watched the god who then stepped his way to stand before him. He was speechless, both moved and entranced, but also a slight bit apprehensive in regards of the other man's motives. Surely this was a man in whom mothers often warned their daughters about.

Moreover, this demon was giving him a full evaluation.

"And I am not talking about whirlwinds, like the foolish wind tribe demons use at their every whim." Ref stated as he vanished, only to reappear right behind the very one in whom he was addressing. He took Kazuma off guard, almost jumping right out of his shoes. "An ancient skill in which they've acquired off the shores of their island, due to every occurring or passing storm, a technique which can be formidable at best IF in the right hands. But to me, it's just a puff of wind."

He continued, drifting over to now stand side by side with the detective, all the while slithering an arm around his torso in a sign of possession. "No. I am talking about free roaming, uncontained, savage wind… Nevertheless, you are as passionate and robust as fire, as ever changing as the currents and the tides, and yet you are down to earth… Whether or not you are on solid ground, is something to be questioned."

Kazuma's brow puckered, his expression forming into a tight scowl the moment his friend finished saying that. But it was the wandering hand that really got him fired up; it sliding from his side, down his stomach to his lower abdomen, giving him the jitters. "Why you slimy git!" He snarled as he twisted away, using force to free himself from the other's hold around him. He then got all the more aggressive as he reeled back and raised a fist at the man. "How dare you! You better shut that hole of your's, or I'll-"

Reficul chuckled, finding this situation to be highly intriguing. "Lively as the day, but cool like the night. Your voice sounds just about anything BUT a do-gooder. But don't be so glum about it. After all, heroes are all too often dumb asses anyway. Anti-hero is where you should be. That role suits you well, far better than any eternally loved and praised champion." He walked over and gently pushed Kazuma's fist back down, only then to hold it within his own grasp.

Kazuma let out a breathy sigh, one that sounded more feminine than he would like to admit to, so he seized his hand away. T'was not a "hauteur" notion, but merely because of an unnerving sense of self-mortification.

"There's more to life than being the hero in the end." Reficul said as he looked him straight dead in the eyes. "Allow me to divulge into this matter thoroughly. In truth, there is neither pure good or pure evil. Besides, no one would ever see you as such, thus it is nothing more than a foolish dream. See the forest for the trees. To be a hero, you have to be destined to be one. Heroes have to be spotless, flawless… They can't do wrong, even, in fact, when they do. Everything is forgiven of them, including their pasts of being a mere loser. Despite their moments of cowardice. Despite their lack of confidence. No. You, my man, are no hero, not when everyone seeks to break you down. That is not what heroes are made of. Anti-heroes? Yes. Villains? Most definitely…

"But you of all people know that Anti-heroes never receive the credit that they so rightfully deserve. No. People often see them as the enemy, as one of the villains." As he spoke the next sentence, he leisurely drew his finger lightly along the lines of the psychic's mouth, his finger tip brushing against the other's lip. "In fact, there's a fine thin line that separates the two from one another." He then curled his fingers inward towards his palm, stroking the other's cheek ever so lightly with the back of his fingers, knuckles included. "Anti-heroes are no mere heroes, but people who are one step away from being that in which they swore to fight against…

"You've allowed your mind to be filled with too much trash." He stated afterwards, all the while giving Kazuma a few pats on the left side of his head and cheek. "For you see, villains are merely people, whatever their species or race they may be. People whom never fitted in society and its regulations, and it's within those societies that have pushed them into the brink of what they have become. Into 'The Point of No Return'. It's people, for whatever reasons, that has caused these men and women to forever wander within the darkness. Everything that they've done, everything that they do, is because of someone else who has lead them to that, including rape and murder. It's not that they always wanted to be that. Oh, I'll assure you otherwise, no… They had high hopes and dreams, just like you. But no one would permit them to see through to the end, to see the light at the end of that long and dark tunnel. It's the people around them who are to blame, but no one in this world or the next is willing to accept those facts nor the consequences…

"Monsters may not be as innocent as the rest, but everyone…sins." Reficul informed him with uttermost significance, his tone dark and severe. "If there ever was such a thing as sin, that is. There's only right and wrong, yes? No. There's only what's accepted and what is not. Or better yet, in some case, whether or not you are accepted. The path into heaven is exclusive, which is why there's such a thing as reincarnation. Only the best of the best are accepted, otherwise you'd be tossed right back into the sea of mortals, awaiting your chances to be born yet again in Summerland. Though it used to be The Netherworld, which is another term for Purgatory, that most souls were sent to... So that they may prey and repent, beg for their chances to be permitted into heaven. But that all ended ruin, thanks to Lord Yakumo's rebellion against Reikai."

_"Yakumo…?"_ Kazuma thought, taking in all these words considerably. _"Well, this makes sense… But…"_

Having overheard his train of thoughts, Reficul added; "Yakumo was a Halfling. A demigod." He underscored the last word in each of those two sentences. "And being that he was, he was not as nearly half as powerful as a full blooded GOD. And the gods…individually, are in leagues of their own in ranks or power levels."

"And we had such trouble defeating him. Not even Yusuke could do it by himself." Kazuma uttered beneath his breath, astounded by the revelation. "We had to rely upon the strength within that orb."

"But back onto the previous subject, the fire demon knows this well and considers it greatly." Reficul said as though right on cue, to dwindle away any further doubts or suspicions. "This is why he does not ever choose sides, even when he must… But only because he's pushed to make such decisions, does he choose. He's the only one who has enough common sense amongst them. The fox and the Mazoku Halfling are fools, because Reikai wishes to be rid of…what they deem to be imperfections."

"Imperfections?" Kazuma exclaimed in outrage. "Since when has anything ever been perfect?"

According to science, nothing was, is, nor ever will be "just right", especially on this precise "ideal" planet where flaws run amok and everything is liable to change. Nature isn't exactly perfect, but she tends to get the job done way better than any.

The psychic groaned softly, feeling rather sick to his stomach by that time. His eyes had glazed over, his face as pale as a ghost's.

As much as he wanted to disbelieve every word, he could not help but to believe. He already knew that Reficul was, indeed, NOT lying… He could see it well within his eyes, those piercing blood colored orbs. And what would it pay if he was lying? Certainly not in the continuation of their friendship.

"I'd rather you know this now, before you decide to pick which side you are on." Reficul continued to enlighten; granted, being the demon of light that he was. "Everything has an order and it's supposed to remain as such. But Reikai doesn't want order. They merely wish to create a paradise, though one that suits their own means. They intend to achieve such selfish endeavors by the end of this winter's era; time period speaking...

"They are the reason behind why most 'mythical' creatures are now extinct and why people believe them to be merely legends and products of ancient folk tales. Reikai has become reckless with power, the system has long since been corrupted. They merely seek to control anything they happen to get their mangy hands upon, especially King Yama." He nearly roared the name as he gritted his teeth, baring them for all to see as his eyes burned with such rage. "You can't fathom how much of a dirty, lying, thieving rat he really is. It's why most of us can't stand him. We revile that infernal bastard! And it's because of him we're in a war!"

Out of fear, Kazuma took a few steps back away from the raging god in a hurried pace, almost stumbling upon himself in the process.

All he ever wanted, all he dreamed for, was recognition. To be the person he always dreamed he could be, whether or not he was destined to be playing the role of the lead character. But now, he just wanted to turn tail and run away from all of this. His hopes and desires have all flown out the window, mind you, and what he thought to be truth were merely illusions to reel him in.

This is not what he asked for. He did not ever wish to be involved in such a mess, but unfortunately, he was well in this death trap. Up to his waist in quicksand, so to speak.

If anything, this was a nightmare. An utter nightmare sent straight from The Twilight Zone! …Or so he believed.

How did he get here?

"I already know…" Kazuma spoke hesitantly, with both lowliness and sincerity. "That I'll never be the hero. Heroes are all the same, cut from the same mold… They are designed with only little differences from one another, so that people can tell them apart. I'm not qualified for the role. Never have been, never will be."

The Dark God drew in a breath, and it was as lengthy as it was coated with despair, it was incredibly so. No longer fixated with the blurs of a past, he returned his gaze back upon the psychic; low and behold, for once, it was his eyes that appeared to be troubled. For a moment, his face had become long and his expression was that of weariness. But there was also a sense of longing there, the very kind where one appears to be as though trapped between a daze and a state of lament.

He was not known as "Mister Unlucky" amongst the mortals without an explanation.

"Well, to rest my case, so not to make such matters perpetuate…" He spoke again, though after he had regained his composure; real lickity-split like. "Unlike most people, you have to work your way into heaven. Heaven doesn't accept you. Doesn't want you. You either strive to not be left behind or give in. If you fight your way, heaven will surely break you down every step of the way. If you give in, you'll go straight to hell."

...

_"I will destroy him! He has made me into everything I've turned out to be! So, it is of the most kindest of regards that I'll give him a taste of what-"_

...

"Hell?" Kazuma gulped. "To suffer all eternity?"

...

_"Why stop there? We'll drag him there… Kicking and screaming."_

...

"The truth hurts like hell, I know." The dark god replied with an evil snicker, which drew to a literal hissing to himself, sounding ever so much like a serpent would; if a snake could manage to laugh, that is. He had to really watch himself there, for if he had not, he would have surely let something out of the bag… Something long, black, and unwinding…with a forked tip, slithering out from right between his lips!

"Just ask Raizen! His soul wanders between Makai and Ninegenkai because he KNOWS exactly where he's supposed to go! Let's just say, no matter what sacrifice he has made in the past to make up for it, none of it mattered. It had all been for naught. And Spirit World doesn't care... They just don't like him, unlike his heir."

Ref then decided to quickly change the subject back onto what it was originally about. He switched it like a man exchanging his tie for a better or more appropriate one. "In short, to split it down the middle… You're beginning to sound an awfully lot like that David Bowie. That human rock musician from England. But… You also sound smidge bit like a swashbuckling pirate."

Kazuma blinked, baffled by but also miffed at his friend's latter statement. "What? How?" He placed his hands firmly upon his hips, then fired back; "I don't speak like a bloody pirate!"

"Take my word for it. You just do." Ref argued against him, teasing the redhead just a bit. "Your Japanese is a bit broken, not so fluid as the others." He said this despite that he already knew the answers, but now was not the time to tell them.

Hopefully the detective would take the hints given, or better yet, ones thrown at him. This way he'd have to figure it out himself as to who he really was. It was the safest way to go about this… For the time being, that is, less the enemy figures it out himself. One can never be too careful. You never know who might be listening.

"Oh, you bugger! Thems fighting words!" bellowed Kazuma, with a pinch of sarcasm added into the bitter mix. "I grew up on the streets, not by sea! I know street lingo. Used to speak it fluently, too. It's just rather unorthodox to use such loose terms when it comes to the matters of an legitimate business. That, and I'll have you know, that I had to relearn Japanese due to a rather nasty case of amnesia brought unto me by a severe fever. So, HAH! There! Try to beat that, will you?" He blinked when then suddenly his mind drew to a blank, but only for a moment. "…Wait, what were we going on about again? …How do you know so much about music?"

"I know who these people are because I make it my business to know." Answered the god that stood before him. "And okay, you sound more like an Englishman rather than..." A few seconds passed. "Not at all like a pirate."

The psychic could be as oblivious as he was perpetually in a state of denial.

Kazuma crossed his arms and raised a brow, skeptic. "People say I sound an awful lot like Jonathan Davis. How that is, I have no clue. Maybe it's when he sings." He then thought to himself; _"And before that, I sounded like that guy from Ill Nino... I don't sound Spanish. When will this end?"_

"You do not sound like Jonathan Davis." Reficul countered back. "Who on earth told you that? You two don't even sound remotely similar."

"Some of my fellow coworkers." Kazuma plainly answered, using a monotone voice.

Reficul rolled his eyes and then snorted derisively in return. "That figures. Coming from the mouths of impotence."

"Well, they have caught me singing on several occasions…to myself.. Eheh." Kazuma informed, tittering to himself as he rubbed the back of his head. He felt embarrassed having to say that.

"I'm surprised that they even know what foreign music is," remarked Reficul. "Let alone possess an inept ability to cough up slipshod, bullshit comparisons. Let me guess, they believe that The Devil is red, part goat, has the pinchers of a crap for hands, and the deadly tail of a scorpion extending out of his backside?"

"Yes, it's pure cockamamie. I know." Kazuma agreed, then sighed. "Which brings me back to the days of when I once sung with those jerks…

"I still can't get over the fact that I got so little support from them." He spoke as he reminisced. "Fuck. I couldn't even sing what I really wanted to. Tried to, but failed miserably. I had to work with what I had, which wasn't much at all. It all sucked! And my high hopes of finally expressing myself crashed and burned!…

"I wanted to sing Heavy Metal. Not pop!" Kazuma threw his hands up as he exclaimed.

The dark god knew that a good rant was in store, obviously, but he didn't mind. The psychic had always been the ranting and raving type anyway, way back since the very beginning. Besides, it was best that he would let it out now, rather than to keep it in. Again, nothing good ever came from him ever keeping it in, much to everyone else's ignorance.

So, the psychic began to carp on.

"I didn't even get one single guitar to be played in that song." Kazuma declared, grumbling incoherence to himself. "In fact, the only song with a guitar that I have to my name was 'Friendship'. But no one took that song seriously. They should have, it was about them! I'm glad I had embarrassed them when I did that live performance of 'The Simple Feelings of a Man'." He then snickered, remembering how they all disparaged him for that little act. "I accidentally sent the crowd into a mad panic with the special effects I had added, everything was either catching on fire or exploding…or both. Either way, it was highly amusing! There was so much destruction. Men, women, and children were screaming!"

"That is…fucking wicked and sick." Reficul stated in awe, recalling the scene himself. After all, he had been there, too, though he was in incognito at the time. "In a good way." He added as he then narrowed his eyes, secretly holding back what jealousy he had. It was a great song, all in all, but he did not like the lyrics very much.

"Yeah, it really was." Kazuma agreed, but then frowned to himself as he remembered the repercussions of his actions. "Though I had gotten a severe tongue-lashing, followed by a good pounding for it. But it was SO worth it." He laughed full-heartedly. "I think I was changing back then, but didn't realize it. The destruction and carnage fascinated me. I'm really good at the drums, by the way."

"They wouldn't know great music, even if it came up and bit them all on the ass." Reficul remarked. "Or pulverized them in their sad, ugly puddles of vile excrement that they call faces."

"Yeah…" Kazuma said despondently, wiping a tear from his eye. "Well, I guess I am highly fortunate to get that much. But ugh! Pop, oh how I loathe thee! I say they did it all on purpose, because everybody knows I sound my best when I sing dark, angry, and angsty material…" He suddenly became silent for a moment, shifting his eyes from side to side. "Everyone at my work, that is."

"I'm partial to heavy metal, death metal, and black metal." Reficul told. "Well, anything metal."

"Really?" Kazuma blinked at him, then stared at him in wonderment. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, he squealed. "That's fucking awesome! I am, too! Megallica is one of my biggest faves, and they are so power metal! I love metal! Moshpit!" He shouted excitedly, having a groupie moment as he jumped around and head banged in place. Realizing how stupid and 'un-metal' he must seem, he then freezes, his entire complexion blushing a bright stop-light red. "Ahem! I mean…I like anything as long as it's related to rock. I'm a head banger. I used to go to some hardcore shows back in the day…"

Reficul was smirking roguishly at him. "I see. You're in luck, then. I'm one brutal machine when it comes to grinding the guitar. And I do so enjoy to partake in a bit of violence."

Hearing him say that made Kazuma shiver. "Why… Oh why… Did that come off as sound very sexual?" He muttered, believing that the man had committed a ribald.

Reficul grinned wildly, displaying those sharp teeth and fangs in an utmost wolfish way. "Don't ask me. You're the one who's mind is in the gutter."

Kazuma turned a brighter shade of red, if that were even biologically possible. He regretted ever saying that, so he quickly tried to swap the subject, all the while slowly inching away…

"But still…" Kazuma continued. "I don't think Hiei really got to sing what he wanted either. He was practically pretending to seem SO nice… And his songs were SO out of character, it made my ears bleed."

As he made that remark, he made a gagging expression, then put on the most sour and angry face he could manage to conjure at will. He was making a spectacle of himself, but it was in his intention to seem unappealing, not that Ref couldn't see through that, because he could. He had been through these tests before.

Kazuma can be quite difficult.

But the very same goes for himself, because he really had no room to talk and he knew it.

"Everyone catered to Kurama and Yusuke. I know that more now than I did then. I just…know it. After all, Yusuke had to be perceived to be a badass and yet all time around good guy… Instead of what he really is, a thoughtless self-centered jackass! And Kurama 'The Perfect' is the conniving bastard!" Kazuma yelled as he slammed his right fist into the palm of his left hand, then punched his left fist into the air.

He turned himself around, his back now facing the other, and tried to march away, heading towards the end of the hallway. "Injustice, I say! To hell with them and may they burn a million times over!"

Receiving a firm hand upon his wrist stopped him short, however. Suddenly, before he could manage to blink, he found himself being pulled towards the opposite way, literally forced to turn back around, only then to be wrapped in a strong…possessive…embrace. The front side of him was being pressed against something firm, something…growling, like a ferocious beast about to pounce. Although the "pouncing" part had already occurred.

In response, the psychic detective screamed and flailed.

"Kazuma, beware!" Reficul alerted as he nipped the upper corner of his ear, his lupine breaths tickling the other man's skin. "You tempt me, leading me on like the way you do."

Immediately, the physic turned redder than a cherry. His body was radiating a bright pink glow, actually lighting up the area in which they stood in the hall.

Oh, when was he ever going to cease in blushing like a fool?

"Y-you said my name!" Kazuma sputtered, having been taken aback by hearing it's utterance come straight from other man's mouth for perhaps the second or third time since he's known him; instead of that ridiculous soubriquet.

His heart was beating so profoundly, it felt as if it was about to burst right out of his chest, through the ribcage.

"How you addressed those fools earlier had gotten me all hot and bothered." Reficul professed, furrowing his arching, wicked shaped eyebrows. "And trust me, seeing you flustered makes you all the more irresistible."

"How in the hell is THAT irresistible?" Kazuma screeched, failing to hold back a smile. "There's nothing about me that's alluring!" He pointed out, squirming but not really trying at all to get free. The dark god had took him a bit off guard, but he did have a gut feeling that this was going to happen.

Reficul pulled him up, meaning to get much closer to the man and breaking the bubble boundary almost completely. And Kazuma realized that he was now about a foot or more off of the ground, from the tips of his toes to the wooden floor in distance.

"On contraire, my Nemo, I find you to be…erogenous." The god breathed in an intimate yet carnal fashion, his lizard thin lips curled risqué manner. His mouth was only but an inch away from the other's. "As a specimen, I find you captivating. You're right up my alley. How I long for us to gorge upon our darkest, most saporous, fervid, and titillating of fantasies."

"What? I have no dark fantasies! In fact, I don't have single morbid bone in my body!" Kazuma yelled, shaking his head about frantically. "Whatch'ou talkin' 'bout?"

Ref chuckled. "I didn't say that you had a 'morbid' bone. You did, by insisting blatantly that you don't. That, my dear, is what one calls 'denial'." He closed the gap between them, lapping his tongue unchastely against the man's lips.

Kazuma's eyes bulged within their sockets. "You creep!" He yawped with a flustered whine.

Reficul emitted a low, lascivious growl. "Your body speaks otherwise. Tense and trembling… I could help your darkest dreams unwind, but only if you grant me that privilege. I can make your senses tingle." He said with such possessiveness in his voice. And somehow it was though he was still speaking, whispering in the psychic's mind; "You are mine. Every part of you belongs to me. Only me. And I will have you forever."

Next, much to his surprise and beyond his own expectations, Reficul released him.

After he had been set down back upon his feet, Kazuma couldn't help but to blinked up at him.

"They might have ruined your self-confidence," Reficul stated, staring back down upon him and appearing ominous for the casting shadows upon his visage. "But surely that can be fixed. I hold the remedy you seek. Something far more tangible than you've ever received in this life time." It was a romantic gesture, not a threatening one, though it did not seem as such. Not everything is what they may appear.

Kazuma quirked a brow at him, his hands now resting upon his hips, and he had the expression like an angry woman's. "You just love freaking me out, don't you?" He asked rhetorically, one stepped closer to figuring the demon god out.

"Perhaps…" replied Ref, pretending to ponder for a moment. A sinister, creepy, and slightly disturbing grin formed upon his face as he wriggled his fingers like a classic villain would. "Seeming like The Creeper is rather fun."

Kazuma grinned widely up at him, then turned his back to him sheepishly. He then took a few steps away, the tails of his kimono drifting and swaying ever so elegantly behind him.

"My sister is hiding something from me." He said, changing the subject whilst he began unfastening his the top to his dresses. "For a moment, I almost caught it." The thick double layered cloth, draped over his shoulders, his milky-white flesh glowed in the diffused light in the hall. His complexion had paled a shade or two since the breaking of the first seal.

He twiddled with the holes in his clothes, silently reminding himself that they still needed to be repaired. The outer black layer was that of polyester and cotton, while the inner white layer was made of silk.

Reficul watched him closely, feasting his eyes upon him and not being able to tear his gaze. He was trying desperately hard to have some self-control.

Kazuma then removed the rest his kimono, exposing his muscular chest and strong arms to the world. He was never a hairy person, so his physique was smooth and sheik. And his body wasn't like any other man's, nor like any woman's. His physique was perfect, as though hand chiseled by the gods themselves.

[_Like Kazuma, Kaguya possessed an amazing figure, one being worthy of being lusted after. She was muscular, but not scrawny in the least. She had the most beautiful curves and the best breats he had ever laid his eyes upon._]

Ref's breath was now rigid. Before him stood an angel.

The psychic possessed such beautiful skin, flawless despite all of the battles he had participated in. He wanted to cry.

In all his years, no pain or torment had ever made him cry, except for the loss of his lover. Every time, a part of him died inside.

"And Keiko is pregnant, but I doubt she knows that." Kazuma professed as he generated a small amount of energy into the tips of his fingers. "It's best that they both leave." He continued, all the while managing to fix one of the many tears in the fabric with the use of his touch. The threads magically grew in length and intertwined with one another, locking and filling in the gabs; repairing seamlessly as though the damage had never occurred. "I know that Yusuke still loves her. I just know it."

Reficul snorted. "Just as I know he happens to be in love with two men, and they in return love him."

Kazuma froze when he heard that. The alarm bells were ringing, ever so loud and clearly within him.

"It's all a matter of lust, really." Reficul enlightened, knowing the full truth and unashamed to say it. "Just another scheme you're caught in the middle of. A lovers' quarrel."

"But he's listening to all the wrong people, evidently!" Contested Kazuma, suddenly feeling more betrayed than he did ever before.

Such news hit him hard.

The heart within his chest becoming faint, sort of like a light cold breeze.

He knew that Yusuke was a pervert, not that there was anything wrong about that, but… This was a bit too much. Yusuke had really let him down, at least in regards to his own expectations.

It was to no wonder why the half-breed didn't love him in return. Why love him, when you can have the two hottest teammates of their crew?

Did Yusuke really hate him that much? Did he really think he was that ugly? He knew that he could never compare with them. And yet, he had been left out of everything. How much more was going on behind his back that he did not know about?

Talk about adding insult to injury, like rubbing salt into a wound. It left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Yusuke had never been true to him, at least not in the last years that Kazuma had known him.

"Not that it matters to me." He muttered a moment later. "I could give a rats ass whether or not he fucks up his own life. But I won't tolerate him fucking up the lives of others. And that child deserves a far better life than he could ever offer."

As he finally moved onto the next hole, the psychic decided to discontinue the operation… Save for, perhaps, the next day? …To which then he proceeded to fold the fabric, all so neatly.

He was no longer in the mood to fix anything as of right now.

"And as for Sensui…" Kazuma said as he turned his head to look back at his friend. "The thing I don't get is why he wants me to come to Liverpool, and why do I have but a month's time?"

Reficul observed his lips as they moved, paying attention to every movement.

The orange haired man had such kissable lips, whether he knew that or not. It was one of the many features that was often overlooked, along with those gorgeous, distinctive shaped eyes.

Why he would even bother to compare himself to those two…was just…stupid. He had much more than they could ever offer.

But Kazuma was his, no one else's… He belonged to no one else, not even to a Demon Lord, but to an all feared and formidable God.

Reficul really despised that bastard. And let it be known, no one can hold a grudge like him.

Not only that, he also knew that two of them were in cahoots with Reikai, much to both the psychic's and the demigod's lack of acknowledgement. And WHEN, not if, they pull something, he'll be there to personally mar and rip them apart.

Kazuma bit his bottom lip nervously for a moment, scraping his teeth bit by bit against the tender pink flesh. "Does he not know how long it takes to get a passport or a visa, let alone the MONEY it takes to go on such an adventure? What am I saying? Of course he does! But he's not forking out the lettuce to pay the bill."

"You shouldn't fret over it." advised Ref, both answering the subject matter and being mindful of his significant "heart strings" at the same time. "The way to get there will come. We'll get there, trust me."

"Still…" Kazuma argued, plopping himself up against the wall, only then to slowly slide down onto the floor. The coldness of the wall burned against his skin.

He felt like a stone falling into the dark sea of despair and depression. He hung his head real low, fighting his best to get his mind off of the past.

"If anything, it leaves me with four weeks of training, at tops. However, he did not say he would face me immediately… Only that I needed to be there a month from now."

And worst of all, Hiei had called him a liar.

He was not another liar. He just wanted to be himself.

He seemed he was already fading. And deep down he really wished someone could take his body into another world.

"Hopefully this mission will be a quick one," He continued numbly as he studied the lines within his own hands. "Because it is interfering with my education as well as my goal of becoming an official Inspector. According to the law, I need at least three years of training in the force. Japan stresses over one's education like crazy, like a catholic school teacher stresses over one's own salvation. Unfortunately, I am going to have to go back to Tokyo before we go anywhere. The official headquarters of the unit I'm stationed in, as well as the department responsible for my education… Is located in Tokyo."

He felt so used. And yet so useless. Used to the point of no longer having any good left in him.

Kazuma unconsciously gripped at his hair, his hands now resting at the corners of his forehead. His folded kimono rested in his lap.

The dark god continued to watch the circumstances unfold before him, his figure now consumed in darkness. He was darker than black. Ominous and terrifying, both his eyes and aura glowed an eerie, hot blood red as he exhaled black smoke from his nostrils.

Reficul hated seeing him like this, more than anyone could ever imagine.

_"I try to make it through my life… In my way, you are."_ Kazuma thought with contempt, picturing Yusuke in his mind. _"Always. You just want to break me…"_

[_"I'm not just a street punk anymore." Yusuke had told him that day, the day when Kazuma had forfeited the team._

_Not that his assistance had ever been required of him, but that day they needed more help than they would ever admit to... More help than Yusuke would disclose. But that day, like many others before and after it, they had left him purposely out._

_"I have a job to do and people who respect and depend upon me. So, get it through that thick skull of your's!"_

_If it wasn't for Botan and Koenma, he would have never known what had been going on behind his back. He never received any credit from anyone but those two, not even from his own family. And they were the ones who tried to get him to reconsider his decision to forfeit._

_He had saved the day that day, having arrived on the scene when no had expected him to. He slew the culprit like a silent killer, slicing him into pieces from behind. It had been uncharacteristic of him, he knew, but at that time he didn't care. The others were far too preoccupied with trying to escape the spider's web to do anything anyway._

_Some Spider King had attempted to take over another nearby city, claiming that it had been "The Age of The Spider". His death had been quick and almost painless, thanks to the psychic's improvement in swordsmanship._

_"…I'm growing up, Kuwabara. Leave the team if you want, but know this… You're nothing! And I never requested your help from the start! We never needed your help, not today, not ever!"_

_That had been the second last bitter taste of the Tourin Prince's true personality, especially when he had given the psychic a sharp upper cut right in the stomach. Of course it had not stopped there, the half-breed let him have it, including scooping Kuwabara up bodily, only then to slam him into the ground._

_One would merely see it as any other day, when the two fought and had engaged into a state of violence. But this time it was not like the good ol' days, no, it was something more…_

_…Something terrible…_

_"Urameshi, we used to be such good friends! Why?"_

_This time was different.  
_

_Yusuke had to be the best at everything, or least better than Kazuma at everything. His life's destiny was to be better than him, so he had bragged time and time again._

_He had to be anything better than that arrogant fool that went by the name of Kuwabara, even if it was just being one step ahead of him._

_"You're human, I'm a demon! You can't beat me! You'll always be a lifeless loser!"_

_The pain had been severe, but not enough to prevent him from retaliating- With a rabbit punch; that is slamming his fist into the man right on the back of the neck, right where the spine is located. Yusuke had trouble functioning for nearly a week, even after Yukina had healed him._

_No one, not even Kazuma himself, knew what had gotten into him…to pull a move like that. It was dirty and wrong. Hell, they didn't even know how in the world Kazuma knew that maneuver._

_But Yusuke had brought it onto himself. However, everyone looked down upon him, not the instigator._

_Yusuke had verbally and physically assaulted him, insulted him…_

_While Kazuma remained quiet, a calm and deadly silence. He had waited for the right, opportune moment, and had taken it._

_No had ever seen that side of him before, because moments like that had usually lasted for a moment's glimpse. So naturally, he had taken everyone by surprise that day._

_Truth be told, he could have killed him if he had wanted to._

_But Yusuke had cut him deep like a knife, and in return he felt like a victim yet again. _

_He had always been the victim.  
_

_And even 'till this day, he cannot figure out how that man ever stole his heart._]

_"Bit by bit. But that's only part of it."_ His eyes flashed violently as he reflected, the whites in his eyes darkening, becoming a medium shade of grey. _"I'm not the same anymore, either… And you will deal with it when the time comes. I'm tired of this shit you put me through. You are never there for me, not anymore. **I hope you rot inside a gutter somewhere. Because I don't care anymore for you.**"_

He felt wicked and wretched right now, but he didn't care.

His feelings of abhorrence was strong, mostly on behave that the darkest side of him was coming to the surface. It had much more room to move, to slither around, than it had ever in a long time.

He felt like a vampire, like one of those beasts lusting for vengeance. His heart beat had slowed down to almost nothing. And to top it all off, there was a shaking in his soul. It was as if bad blood was beginning to course through his veins.

Little did he know, an internal instinct inside himself was on it's way towards awakening. The need for blood, to thirsted for it. It was the hidden answer as to why he felt so nauseous at the thought of food when the others had offered him a bite to eat.

Oh, there will be blood…

Spilt blood.

Not his own, but another's…as it pours from every orifice of his victim's body. With great care, love and devotion and with all of his compassion drilling into an old friend's hands, this will be the last kiss… Before burning away as the effigy of what he came to hate, the very thing that cursed and blamed him. The rest he will burry in the ground, right where it belonged.

If he had to haunt him, he'd rather him be a ghost. And for plaguing him, his suffering will be long and ruthless to guarantee that this is anything but a dream.

He will pay for wearing sheep's clothing, just as he presumed.

This would be the final example of his love for him. And he will be silent as he watches him die, so as not to miss a single second of it.

The second, third, and even the fourth seal had been cracked, fractured, but not completely broken. When the times comes when they, too, shall break… His power would quadruple, let alone be able to summon his own armor, formed from his own personal energy. He would be as twice as powerful as Shinobi Sensui.

He didn't know it yet, but both life and death resided in him.

This is his journey to both redemption and absolute destruction, the never ending nightmare… The Reflecting God.

_"What did I ever see in you? Ignorance is bliss, but I am not ignorant any longer. **I know the deeds in which you have done."**_ He thought. _**"And if you are intending to create a perfect world… Well, so will I. I will rid my world of everything that is unnecessary, everything that is unworthy, and everything and everyone who stands in my way… Including you. You will not be in it. Yes, I will have my cake and I will eat it."**_

Even after all the pain they had given him, they wanted him back… Once, that is. Because that sure turned real quick.

It had been a long time coming, but now things were a little different. The rematch was going to come, no doubts about it… And he wanted it more than ever, thanks to all these trips down memory lane. He could feel the heat coming, rolling off of the back top.

This was hardly worth fighting for, but it was a little place inside of himself that he could not ignore.

He wouldn't put his money on the other guy, if you know what he means.

If he knew anything, Yusuke was going down this time. He was going to make him cry like a bitch. With his fist in his face, and his face on the floor.

He was the one who was going to be starting the fire.

_**"…Nothing you can say can change that which has already been done. You must bear the consequence of your actions. You will pay for your treachery. I want to win! A**__n__**d **__I__** w**__i__**l**l **w**__i__**n**__!__**"**_

Reficul grinned when he caught that, proud that his lover was more willing than ever to stand up for himself, rather than take it like he had been for all these years.

Kazuma was definitely a lot stronger, but still had no met his full potential yet.

Suddenly, the psychic stood back up, snapping out if it. He then unfolded his kimono, only then to tie it around his waist…

He had realized that there was something that still needed to be done, as a matter of fact, immediately.

"And as Master Sun says…" He said to the god, after turning his resolve back on. His eyes had returned to normalcy or previous state. "Experience is the best teacher. Nevertheless, even though I must take this time to train… I cannot. There's still havoc going down in the city. The people there come first."

The god of all demons responded to that with a snort, which sounded half gator and half dog.

How like his lover to sacrifice his own well being for the sake of others. He could not push aside his duty. And how like him to evade the real issue concerning his own person.

And leave it to him to have no recollection of what was happening with himself on the inside. The beast was still very much there, but hidden.

Reficul stepped forward. "The head freak of that little travesty of an operation had already been dealt with. She's gone, and so is the other trash." He informed as he walked towards him, the bottom of his boots clicking against the hard wood floors echoed against the walls, and the tails of his coat waving behind him like sinister appendages. "What little hold they had over the city has been rectified. It's over. Been over, for over twenty-four hours. The only havoc the city has now is where to burry the dead."

It was the truth of the matter. Nothing else had occurred within the city since that night.

"And as for training, you can train however you wish…" He continued, now standing before the psychic. "As long as you don't go venturing back into the Aokigahara Forest. I forbid you to go back there."

"Why?" Kazuma inquired, as though he didn't already know of the dangers. Of course he knew of the demon of the mountain, but he didn't see any other reason why not to go there.

Ref growled, scowling. "Because I said." He stated.

"Why not?" The psychic whined, his lower lip pouting at him. He really didn't like that answer. "Oh, come on. You have to have a better reason than-"

"It's cursed!" The dark god almost roared, his voice sounding freakishly like a raging, snarling beast. He was trying to keep his temper all the while getting his point across.

The detective jumped back slightly out of reflex, though he had been startled by the outburst. "Did I…push a button somewhere?" He inquired nervously, afraid that he had angered the man.

When seeing the fear in his lover's eyes, Reficul's countenance at once softened. He had glared at the other man for being so obstinate, though that anger quickly dissolved just as it had came.

"You need not fear me." He crooned as he brushed the other man's face tenderly. He spoke these words carefully and with great care.

The fear that Kazuma held soon melted away. He felt safe right here. For once in his life, he felt as if he were in good hands.

His orpiment eyes met with those of hot red. His fingertips touching the other's hand in return, treading ever so lightly, caressing and feeling smooth skin. He shuttered, his own warmth contrasting against cold.

Reficul had the temperature relative to that of a phantom's.

He felt complete here, as if though the most important question of his existence had at last been answered. The very person in whom he was seeking was now standing before him.

Ever heard of the saying "You'll know the right person when you meet them"? Right here, this was it.

Upon feeling the immediate connection, Kazuma's cheeks flushed. He looked at both of their hands, a quick check to be all the more sure… And surely, as plain as day could be, a rope pulsing a bright red, ever strong and radiant. They were connected to one another, though not by the fingers…by their person, from his chest to the other's.

The clearer definition of what it is to be "soul mates".

"Actually, you sound more like Senad than Till." He said with an amiable smile, now entirely fixated upon him.

Reficul grinned down at him, appearing mad and fiendish. But Kazuma didn't care and neither was he afraid. Not anymore.

"Ich soll verflucht sein, wenn ich mich irre, aber du willst doch mit mir schlafen, oder?" The dark god said, using both his charm and wit.

Translation:_ "Screw me if I'm wrong, but you want to sleep with me, don't you?"_

Kazuma almost fell down upon hearing that, thanks to his psychic ability, he knew precisely what those words meant.

And he was bodily blushing again and he wasn't pleased about that!

This had to be a mistake. There was no way in hell this guy could be his long awaited "aficionado"! It had to have been an illusion induced by both stress and his overreacting imagination. What's next? A neurological induced skin ailment? He could swear he was about to get the hives from all of this bullshit.

"Don't press your luck!" He shouted back at him as he immediately stood back upright.

Reficul frowned upon this incidence. Just when he thought he had him, he quickly loses him! This was going to be a lot harder than he hoped for.

Hmm. Maybe he shouldn't have said what he had said. Undeniably, it had been a bit too much. And it had certainly killed the moment.

Ah, let's just face it. He blew it, badly…right out of the water!

"Look," Kazuma addressed him again, but in a more frustrated yet sassy tone of voice. He was now looking him clear, dead in the eyes. "I won't go back into the forest if you don't wish me to… You have my word on that. But I would appreciate to have a better explanation."

The Dark Prince was silent for a moment.

So, maybe not all hope was lost. And maybe, or perhaps, he could take this chance to turn things back around, that is by sending other hints.

But right now really wasn't the right now. In fact, they were not in the right place. If anything were to be said, others would most certainly hear.

He had already said far too much as it already was. And because of that, he was not going to further danger the love of his life.

"Maybe… How about another time." Ref firmly stated, then turned to walk away.

However, Kazuma was not about to give in so easily…

By being persistent by stepping in front of him to stand in his way. Yes, it was indeed a trick that Yusuke would pull. But hey, at least he had learned something from the man, if anything else at all.

"How'bout now?" He appealed.

Reficul merely looked at him, plain and simple. "How'bout… Not." With a wave of his hand, he signaled that his decision had been final.

Surly as a wet wildcat on a cold and wintry day, the psychic got all ornery with him, growling and snarling and whatnot. "Hey! You WILL tell me or so help me, Ref, I'll…WRING YOUR BALLS UNTIL YOU TURN BLUE!"

Kazuma never gives empty threats, nor a word he could not keep.

Anyway, he was stepping his foot down!

The other man laughed dementedly, much to the psychic's dismay. "Kinky! As long as I get to feel your touch, any harm is welcomed. So, BRING ON THE PAIN!"

Kazuma's jaw had done an anime drop, and what used to be his mouth had fell away onto the floor. His left eye and eyebrow twitched.

Oh great, how was he supposed to hurt him now? So far, violence was the only way he knew, the technique of all techniques that could deliver any answers.

Damn him. Damn him to hell for being such a silver-tongued, perverted, cheeky bastard!

Kazuma breathed a long, exasperated sigh. "Enough of the games… I just want to know."

"Nothing can be explained…" Reficul answered, his voice serious and his decision remained unchanged; as fixed as cement. "Not right now. The words that are needed to be said, alas, need to be saved for another time, day, and place." A low, gentle growl rumbled within his chest as he reached over and petted the psychic's right cheek. "For now, try to bare through the pain."

He didn't want to keep secrets from the man, but he had no other choice but to, despite how much it pained him. He knew precisely what his lover was undergoing.

Many say that The Devil "is a loser", but in Ref's eyes, he was far from being that. Besides, you don't go around degrading "boogiemen" without a price, and that price was coming, both credit and taxes included.

Kazuma closed his eyes and lowered his head, and by doing so, both shadows and his long hair fell onto his face.

"But… I don't like all of the pain." He confessed. "Not this emotional drama. Ref, everything's changed. It's so hard to take in. And I feel so lost, like a child that's lost his way home." He started shaking, his whole body convulsing lightly. "I want to cry, but I can't… I can't cry any more. There's nothing left in me to give." He reminded his friend, all the while looking back up at him. He looked the picture of someone who had been crying, but his skin was incredibly dry. Not a tear had been shed.

Ref, wanting to better see a better view of the redhead's face, he laced his fingers through and lightly tucked the man's unruly strands of hair behind the ears.

In return, the psychic pushed his hands roughly up against the deity's chest.

Reficul took this chance to inhale the scent of his curly yet feral, fiery ginger mane.

"I don't want to be lost and confused anymore." Kazuma murmured weakly, trying to contain all the woes and throes within him. "Is it bad that… I wish, if I could, given the chance… I would happily dance upon the graves of the ones who've shown me…bid me with unkindness?" His eyes had darted to the side, his head had turned, feeling ashamed for what he had said.

Retouching his face, the dark god gently turned the man's attention back towards him.

"No. There's nothing wrong in that." He answered. "Because I so happen to spit and piss on them." He then smirked, appearing cocky and devious. "Normally I find expectorating to be disgusting, which is why I only spit on those whom I truly hate."

"Why you… make me feel dizzy with fever." Kazuma answered huskily, his voice croaking.

The nerves in his own body were ticking and his own skin felt as though it was bubbling. An anomaly caused directly by his own energy running through him and pooling in various areas. His body was vibrating, it was pretty much like that tickling feeling when one's foot falls asleep.

His energy was rising, as well as a sudden and extremely sore spot on his back. He winced at the pain. It felt oddly circular in shape and it was in the very center, right over his spine in the slightly upper middle region between his shoulder blades. That area felt so tender right now, and it was bubbling like crazy beneath the surface of his skin.

Reficul saw this and knew very well what it was. It was one of the seals, pulsating a hazardous vermillion color. This was the one containing one of the many sets of his lover's fiery wings. It was trying to open, the seal was further cracking with little chips falling away from it.

He also knew that this was going to attract much definite attention, but fortunately only those with an intuitive eye could see it… Which meant psychics and other worldly spirits; also known as "Those of the realms of The Dead".

The seal must have been damaged during the time the psychic had yielded an excessive force to annihilate that parade of demons earlier.

And the pentagram upon his back was on the verge of revealing itself to the world.

"And you look as though you have a fever. You should go rest. It will do you some good." Reficul advised, turning the man around. He then pressed himself lightly against his back, an attempt to try to conceal the evidence.

He was going to have to keep watch over him tonight, which he didn't mind in the least.

Kazuma blinked and looked back at him, bewildered by the man's behavior. "Meh. I don't think I could go to sleep just yet." He countered as his friend began to lead him to bed. "I don't know about you, but I feel wide awake. And besides, I don't think I could ever dream of goodness ever again. And as corny as it may sound, I can't rest until I spill the blood of my enemies." He lowered his head slightly and adverted his gaze from him. "I just want to feel good, never mind being good."

"Oh, really?" Reficul asked impishly, a crooked smile tearing it's way upon his visage.

"Well, being good never pays off." Kazuma admitted with a sigh, then turned his gaze forward. "As you and I have said before, I'm not cut out for the job. I'll die to win, but I was born to lose."

The Dark Prince leaned down and whispered into his ear; "Don't give into the pain. Don't let it consume you and lead you to a dead end. I'm here. Forever."

Kazuma blushed profusely.

**oOo**

_"I'd listen to the words he'd say_

_But in his voice I heard decay_

_The plastic face forced to portray_

_All the insides left cold and gray_

_There is a place that still remains_

_It eats the fear, it eats the pain_

_The sweetest price he'll have to pay_

_The day the whole world went away"_

-Nine Inch Nails

**…TBC…**

**

* * *

**

Author's Comments:

Sorry it took forever. And much apologies to not including what I had in-stored. I decided to save it for the next chapter or another chapter. I wish I could have fit everything into one chapter, but it was getting to be WAY too time consuming and I was afraid that it would really take the story off course.

For now on, besides little bits of information (ones which will be given by the cast in the story), you probably won't be seeing much info like you have been. In fact, you won't. The story is finally moving on.

I hope this chapter didn't suck! But these two can ramble... However, Ref is rather quiet with everyone else.

Also, I know that the content is extreme. I must confess that this fiction is not only based on the manga and the anime, but also influenced by other fiction. So many people write fics about Yusuke, Hiei, and Kurama, but rarely...if ever...include Kuwabara, especially without bashing him. I am not bashing these characters, mind you. Not intentionally. But this fic is based on a world where fan fiction merges with original content. This is my take on it. I am showing Kuwabara's side of the story.

Thank you for reading and please review.


	31. Book II: The Forever or Alone, Prince

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre: **Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**BOOK II:**

**Prologue:**

**A VOW**

_"From grace I fell in love with Her_

_The sublimest creature the Gods, full of fire_

_Who's skin is as pale as death_

_A jewel more radiant than the moon_

_Doth temptation prowl night in vulvic revelry_

_Did not the Queen of Heaven come as Devil to me?_

_"If blood is what thou craves, foul fiend_

_I will yield this witch to thee_

_If thou wouldst draw a veil for Me_

_O'er lengthening scars of age and grief"_

_Framed amid the thick of fire_

_Aflame, a Valkyrie_

_She made him click without desire_

_And in his eyes she swam a Goddess"_

-Cradle of Filth

**#1#2#3**

_The Chosen One: [A brief and vague summary.]  
_

_True name is unknown, but is referred to as "Omen" or "The Son of Sam"._

_Patron of wizards, pioneers, revolutionaries, knights and warriors, thieves and pirates, delinquents, bandits, misfits, gypsies, the less fortunate; the outcasts of society. Revenge, terror, blood and carnage, war, all destruction, the end of all things. Alchemy, science, magick, healing, druidism, physicians, smithing, war, commerce, smiting, lightning, water, fire, air, earth, arts and crafts, manual arts, journeys, martial arts, poets, musicians, historians, sorcery, initiation, regeneration through rebirth - reincarnation, inspiration, learning, poetry, music, divination, prophecy, love, witchcraft, occult knowledge, repels invaders, protection, potential, prosperity, and karma. The God or Goddess of The Underworld, holds the power of both life and death in hand and controls the elements. Ruler of the land of the dead and entrances to the otherworlds and is the heir. The greatest of the enchanters, the warrior-magician._

**oOo**_  
_

Izanami, Narakumaru's mother, had fallen into darkness and it had consumed her. She mother was the original goddess of death, though she was once The Goddess of Creation, according to both immortal fact and mortal traditions.

No mortal truly knows how she fell, they can only surmise. But both unfortunate circumstances and betrayal were the leading causes.

She had fallen in love with Narakumaru's father, Naraku, though she was subjected to be faithful to Izanagi. Izanagi was the god of all creation, and because of her act of betrayal, many sought to destroy her. It is not clear whether or not that he had been behind this tragedy had befallen her, but it is certain that Naraku blamed his son, his own flesh and blood, for her demise.

In life she had conceived him, but had given birth to him in death. His soul date was that of October thirty-first, in which he first came into existence, but the date in which he had came into this world had been that of April first.

Naraku is the true God of all things that creep and go bump in the night, the very things that all beings are very well frighten of. He was The God of The Demons and was the first demon in existence. Like Izanami, he was a god of war. He was also the god of carnage and destruction. And he was from The Order of The Dragon.

Narakumaru is not only The Prince of Hell and The God of All Demons, he is also known as "The Great Dragon King". Just like both Izanagi and his father, he, too, was a God of War, carnage and utter destruction. He is the God of The Night, The God of Darkness, The Dark Prince. He is all that his father is, all that his mother is, and more.

The heir to the Mazoku race had eventually became the leader of "The Order of The Phoenix", likewise Narakumaru became the leader of "The Order of The Dragon".

Izanami bore Izanagi no heir, but he had fallen in love with another and took her as his bride. According to legend, fact which is now lost, he had many names. Izanagi was merely one of those faces he wore.

He had others… Ones more dark and sinister, ones which showed the other side of his true nature…

By the identity of "Bishamon", he was the god of both justice and war. He protected the law and made sure that the law was forever obeyed… By subjecting mortals and celestials to "consequences"; also known as "Karma".

But it gets darker ever still… Far darker…

Amatsu Mikaboshi was his true identity, especially in this day and age. He is the god of evil and of the stars, specifically the pole star. Izanagi became known as another, separate deity, rather than the two being one and the same.

_"We are all made of Star Dust."_

_"We are guided by the Stars, the sky spirits who guide us and control all that happens in The Universe."_

_"The stars are responsible for everything, it is where creation first began... Even scientists and astronomers know this, and the ancients knew this... Perhaps even better than everyone else."  
_

The One who had created The Universe and had subsisted way before it had ever existed…was, in fact, a Star. It is through him and his Star beings that everything had came into place and IS as it is today.

He was both God and The Devil; two sides on the same coin.

He is Karma. He IS "The One who sees all".

And every celestial being or creature but Izanami, His stars and He... Were categorized as being demons, or familiars; because they were two separate species, completely different from one another. Demons wouldn't even exist, not even the other gods, if not for The Stars.

Whilst Izanami gave birth to a son, he had a daughter.

Appointed by Izanami herself, she was to be the goddess of death and the grave. Her true name was Amida, or so one would say. However, her name is forever lost.

_…"Hence, Amida manifest herself in all quarters of the universe as the nembutsu- Namu-Amida-Butsu and through her Name, she nurtures all living beings and ceaselessly works to awakened them to reclaim their spiritual inheritance of enlightenment and be spiritually reborn in the Pure Land in the here and now."…_

Amida is now a looser term used for "enlightenment", for no human truly believes in her actual existence anymore. No longer is she the known as the embodiment of "the cycles of life and death". It is between life and death that one receives the greater possibility of achieving enlightenment, when the veil over one's eyes is finally lifted.

Instead of being a goddess, she became known as a god; that is, regarded as an all powerful male supernatural being. She was the original avatar, though; a deity whom dwelled amongst the mortals in an earthly or other worldly form, to guide and to lead them.

And like her parents before her, she had many names, though no one knows which is the real one. In many religions cultures, from every near or far off lands, she is given a different name.

But she is, nevertheless, forever _"The One Without a Name"_.

She is often represented by serpents, phoenixes, and the macabre.

Some speculate that these symbols represent her path. The Phoenix and The Winged Serpent, which is also commonly known as a dragon, symbolize two different sides which were at a continuous war with one another. The skulls or imagery of the macabre represented The Realm of The Dead, the third power in play; originally lead by Emma before he had been replaced by Yama after her fall, who then reformed Reikai and then unionized with those of The Phoenix.

The Phoenix today represented The Mozaku clan, which are the demonic gods of lightning and thunder; Raiden or Raizen later became the chief or leader of their tribe. However, The Phoenix represented a far greater picture. Those who were represented by The Phoenix were on a much far greater scale and in number, and that The Mozaku Clan was merely part of it.

[_This Phoenix bares no connection with Seraphims, even though they are the true phoenixes of The Universe._]

The very same could be said for The Dragon, though it represented another power in play. They were seen as monsters or beasts, and that was easily understood. Many who filled in their ranks were regarded as being outcasts or undesirables, villains and outlaws especially.

[_The Devils are now represented by The Dragon and "The Black Sun"; originally "Cerberus" and "The Dark Phoenix"._]

Simply put, these symbols represented Clans, Regimes, or Orders. And they were bitter enemies with one another, pitting and clashing their forces against one another in an attempt to claim a particular Goddess. It was for her heart and her favor they fought and warred.

But in the end, she had chosen the side of The Dragon. And because of this, the other regime sought to completely do away with her...

_"For she had proven unto them that she was no better than her father, and it was she who followed precisely in his footsteps." _

_"It was 'for LOVE' that had caused her own undoing. She had turned against us by falling in love with a MONSTER... The God of All Demons, that abomination that possesses the powers of both The Devils and The Demons! And that union had been unacceptable. This was the price that needed to be paid for having chose the opposing side. For this, she will be permanently erased. No one would ever dare speak her name again, for there will be not be a name to remember."_

Those on the side of The Phoenix did not want a renewal of the worlds, but to govern and control what already is. This way, they could escape their own judgment, but continue to judge others in their own fashion._ "They wanted a world all of their own."_

Still..._  
_

Those who were of "The Order of The Phoenix" were not as powerful or as merciless as those of "The Order of The Dragon", however, which is why it is doubtful that these symbols merely represented these organizations.

Others claim and argue that this is the symbolism of Yin and Yang, the dual natures that lie within herself. Skulls or images of death or The Grave often represented her chaotic power or the determined outcome when her power is unleashed.

Originally, the phoenix represented evil, whilst the dragon represented good, but the meanings behind these symbols were changed or reversed at a much latter date. In truth, neither were meant to represent good or evil, but their natures and intentions that separated them were like night and day.

But regardless of what these symbols stood for, no one can deny her vow to return in hopes of revenge...

Her body had been destroyed, but the fatal attempt upon her own existence had failed.

And as for Narakumaru, he forever holds strong to his own vow to avenge her.

[_Thus, she is affectionately referred to as "Omen" by The Devils, whilst everyone today dubs her as being "The Son of Sam"; because it had been predicted by The Fates that she would be reborn in the form of a male... And she bares his mark. _

_And she will be known once again when the ending and renewal of the worlds take place once again. Everything afterward would then become a TRUE paradise. Everything that was once dead will be alive again, and creatures of magic and The Celestial Beings will be living together with one another, no longer separated from one another.  
_

_The answers lie within the Stars themselves._

_However, those of The Order of The Phoenix must NOT find her first... For if they get their hands upon her, all hope will be lost._]

The Worlds had not been the same since her fall, but it's condition has progressed ever since her death; betrayed and murdered whilst in her avatar state... Before she had the chance to fully awaken and reclaim her proper place amongst The Stars; "The Star Beings" or "Sky Guardians".

**#4#5#6**

_"I stand alone in the darkness_  
_The winter of my life came so fast_  
_Memories go back to my childhood_  
_To days I still recall_

_Oh how happy I was then_  
_There was no sorrow there was no pain_  
_Walking through the green fields_  
_Sunshine in my eyes_

_I'm still there everywhere_  
_I'm the dust in the wind_  
_I'm the star in the northern sky_  
_I never stayed anywhere_  
_I'm the wind in the trees_  
_Would you wait for me forever?"_

- "Forever"; Stratovarius_  
_

**…TBC…**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Comments: **

This is the true background history of the story. I tried to make it as simple to read as possible.

I tried to not give everything away, because the story is still going. It's not over yet. It's far from being over.

Thank you for reading...

Please review. Reviews are greatly appreciated!

Also, question...

Would you like for me to do a time skip (a small yet significant jump in time) or keep on course as it is now?

Do you wish to see some of the training and what needs to be done before they go to England...? Or do you want to skip to them being in England?

Also, I'll have you know... That I am working my way into having Kazuma and Hiei form a partnership. This is not easy, because something like this would NOT happen over night. NO.

SAYA: Thank you for what you've said. It fills my heart with joy! I could not further agree with you. And yes, I know of Ill Nino. And yes, they do sound a lot alike. But I am currently going by what he would sound like now, not by what he sounded like as a teenager. Voices do change with age. About Mitarai. ...He's another who's going to enter into the story. Mark my word. He is. I just don't want to give it away. And yes... Yusuke did say that. Yusuke's changed, the reason why he has...has also not yet been revealed. Just know what he had said is very relevant to some of the reason as to why he has changed. Like Kazuma thought, Yusuke has that "I'm better than you" mentality when it comes to him.


	32. Book II: The Prelude

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**BOOK II:**

**The Prelude:**

**ANECDOTE**

**[THE DIRTY LITTLE SECRETS]**

_"I'm wide-awake the more I sleep,_  
_You'll understand when I'm dead."_

-Marilyn Manson; "The Reflecting God"

**oOo**

_"I've been told by a certain demon, of one who showed his enemies no mercy, and that when he peered down upon his foes, his gaze was as cold as shards of ice... _

_"He was better known as 'The King of Thieves', and for his cruelty, he was true to his name. He had stolen the sight of another, of a certain soul whom he had once referred to as 'friend'... _

_"And wouldn't you know that this particular demon had confided in me, had addressed upon these matters concerning his hardships, with great detail. He had described to me in how he was left alone, abandoned as a hapless insect, to be a fly that has been callously stripped of its wings. He had wandered aimlessly, blindly through the brush to die a untimely death, but instead had managed to survive to tell the tale... _

_"As for the one responsible for his plight… He did so, but not by his own hands, but by another's. As if out of some sort of cowardice, or perhaps of fear that he might soil his conniving hands if he had committed the dirty deed himself in person... _

_"I had doubted his word at first, but he had delivered unto me a fair warning…_

_"Little did I know, that I would someday know the full extent of this truth... _

_"The fox's treachery holds no bounds, and he is certainly in lack of possessing honor."_

-Kuwabara Kazuma

**oOoOo**

**[Time Frame: Nearly four weeks into the future...]****  
**

"Oh wise and great tree, I seek your assistance…" Spoke a figure cloaked in a rich, dark shade of magenta. The figure's identity was almost obscured in secret, save for the pair of silver ears extended out through the hood of the cloak.

Before him stood a mighty and twisted tree, located in The Valley of The Forgotten of The Forbidden Forest; a dangerous part of Makai where the vilest of demons subsist and where The Devils would sometimes congregate.

But this was no mere tree, but a creature-like being who laid hidden from the average eye in this clever disguise of an ancient, immensely sized Mulberry. Here in this condense, dark and dreary jungle, he conceals himself all the more, making his whereabouts almost impossible to find. And around him, lies many dangers, traps and tricks not only set by that of the florae breed, but also carnivorous beasts who have long since found refuge here and called this their home.

He knows everything and is considered to be one of the wisest. But only the bravest or the most foolish of beings would come here to seek his wisdom.

Upon being addressed, a mouth and a pair of glowing eyes appeared upon it's trunk, as if by magic.

And it was Yoko Kurama who came to see him.

He had ventured to this place, having already dispatched Yukina with Yusuke, knowing that she would remain safe there. The journey here had taken a little over a week, having to have crossed the most dangerous of territories, all the while trying to evade every carnivorous demon along the way. And of course, before that, he had spent a good two weeks time with his friends. So, in his mind, the trouble was worth it. They were waiting upon his return, to hear every word he had to deliver.

He was not in a real hurry to get back to Ninegenkai, you see. From what he could understand, he had no part to play in the human's team.

Speaking of which, he had told Yusuke everything that he already knew. Needless to say, Yusuke had not been pleased having heard that Kuwabara was now against them. However, the Tourin Prince was not in the least worried and neither had he been threatened by these turn of events.

**~FLASHBACK~**

_"So he's against us now, is he? That figures." Yusuke had stated with a snort, his tone stone cold and sour. His light-colored eyes shined with irritation and resentment, and although he had already accused the psychic, he was also a slight bit surprised by the news. His reikai had flared just a little. "I kinda figured he'd turn out to be The Betrayer."  
_

_The two were sharing cups of warm sake together as they discussed matters and covered the recent bases._

_Yusuke then cracked his knuckles, and the sound echoed, deafening in the immense dining room._

_"A big baby like him would pull something stupid like that. He's such an embarrassment. If he comes marching on my turf, I'm just gonna to have to beat some sense into him. For old times sake, ya know." He continued as he then leaned back in his chair, tipping it backwards as he rested his left foot upon one of the legs of the table. He crossed his arms behind his head, using them to prop his head forward and to provide some comfort. "I've always beaten that loser. Handed his ass right to him. What makes you think this time will be any different?"_

_From the opposite end of the table, Yukina stared in stark amazement from where she sat._

_The man had not even shed a single tear. This was a lot different from the last time anyone spoke of the psychic. The guy was practically wrecked with misery and regret. What had caused this sudden metamorphosis in opinion would be beyond anyone's guess… All except Kurama's, that is._

_Kurama well knew that the demon lord would eventually be over with the human, but nevertheless he had not expected the transition to be this soon. It made him wonder about what the Prince could be possibly hiding, which made him quite nervous._

_Yusuke was never into "past life mumbo-jumbo", but the youkai already knew well enough he was. Well, sort of. Most of the information he had received from King Yama had been rather sordid. Not that it mattered to anyone else, because all it did was give the Mazoku-Halfling a rather large boost to his egotism._

_"Killing him won't be worth the trouble, not worth the effort." Yusuke snidely remarked with a sneer. "Though that block head is clearly a waste of space. I'll leave the job to Hiei. I'm sure he'll enjoy finishing that bastard off. In the meantime, I'll send someone to check up on the loser and get a report from shorty. Eventually."_

_When she heard that, the Koorime's eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets._

_Kazuma had certainly changed over the years, but honest to goodness he did not deserve to be further degraded like this. Human or not, he was the legitimate heir of The Kuwabara Clan. That title alone deserves some respect. Just even a little._

_Thinking back about him, she couldn't help but feel a tiny bit guilty. Hopefully, he'll forgive her...in time. _

_By the way, she never had loved him, being that her race of demon prefers to mate with other females. In laymen terms, she's a lesbian. Also, Kurama wanted to pursue an actual relationship with her, in the fox she shared not the faintest bit of interest. In fact, her heart already belonged to yet another redhead. Mukuro had been courting her ever since her first visit here.  
_

_What her brother saw in the fox, however, she could not put her finger on._

_And another thing... She thought Yusuke loved Kazuma. After all, he did mope around like a teenage girl, wallowing in her own tears of self-pity because she had been dumped on Prom Night; at least that's how Keiko had described it.  
_

_She then quickly put on a discreet smile, so as to not give them any suspicions. She had a mission to fulfill, and that mission was to give her brother as much information as possible concerning The Order of The Phoenix. She couldn't allow secrets to be debouched. She just hoped that she could keep this ruse up._

_"Or..." Yusuke continued, tapping his chin whilst he pondered. "I'll go check things out myself. After all, it has been real boring here as of late. And I do need to see how Keiko's doing. You said she's fine, but I have a gut feeling that something's going on with that girl."  
_

_"Yusuke, he's not the same anymore." Kurama informed. "He's even formed another alliance, one that rivals your own. He's befriended Narakumaru."_

_Yusuke blinked, dumbfounded. "Naraku-Who?"_

_Kurama face-palmed, not being able to believe what he had just heard. "The God of All Demons! For pity's sake, Yusuke, you should know by now who that is!"_

_"And my ancestral dad was 'The Lightning and Thunder God'…" Yusuke remarked with dry cynicism. He then lean forward, placing his hands firmly against the top of the wooden table as the feet of his chair clanged back down onto the hard stone floors beneath them. "Seriously, Kurama. I'll just give Kuwa-Baka a serious smack to the head, a real good one that he'll never forget. It'll set him straight. …Right back in his place."_

_"And what about Narakumaru?" Inquired Kurama, who narrowed his emerald eyes at the young lord._

_Yukina continued to listen and watch the scene unfold in silence. And so not to seem so conspicuous, she gingerly sipped on her tea. She wasn't about to drink sake, at least not here._

_Yusuke crossed his arms and shrugged. "Ah, I can take him! In fact, I bet my bad reputation has already got him shaking in his boots." He held his head high, a proud smirk worn upon his visage._

_"Surely, you must be joking." Kurama accused, sweat popping off his forehead. "He's The Dark Prince. He's half Devil and half demon, and furthermore, he's a GOD. He has more power than any demonic god that has ever existed, including and especially your father. Some even go as far as to say that his power even rivals that of Amatsu's!"_

_Yusuke glanced back over at him. "Amatsu's?"_

_The Mazoku certainly possessed the attention span of a cat. It's like he suffers from Attention Disorder. And of course, he was telling the same man who once thought that Makai and Hell were the same exact places.  
_

_The fox heaved out a weary sigh. "Aku! You know, the one whom our alliance is against. The Order of The Phoenix was formed for this purpose. Narakumaru used to rule over all of Makai, but he never wanted anything to do with any of us. In fact, he's our number one enemy. His loathing for our kind goes beyond any words to describe." He gave the demon lord a rather dressing-down. "You should already know this. We've gone over this a number of times during the conferences."_

_"Yeah, yeah. Big deal." Yusuke grumbled, wiggling his pinky in his right ear. "Well, excuse me, professor, if I find lectures to be pointless and boring."_

_Kurama frowned at him._

_Yusuke then sighed and said; "Look. I'm sorry. I'm not really into details. You know that I'm more of a big picture type of guy."_

_"It's alright. It's just…" Kurama hesitated, gathering and rethinking his words for a moment. "We need to find The Chosen One. And destroy him before it's too late."_

_"You're still sore about him severing off some of your tails, aren't you?_

_"Some?" Kurama spat, angry at how insensitive he could sometimes be. "SHE cut off five of them, now I have only four left! It was with her scythe she had removed them, and because of that, she not only maimed me but weakened me as well. I'm permanently marred because of her. I can never be the demon that I once was!"_

_As he could fully recall, the incident had taken place after the emergence of Mortimer, the one commonly referred to today as Aglaeca; The Loose Cannon from Hell itself had been unleashed upon existence after the goddess had been provoked. It was a side that was rare as a blue moon. In fact, it was the first time it had revealed itself to the world; having at last awakened._

_{**"I'll kill you if you don't behave yourself." **The beast had teased, her long fingers wrapped around silver hair, pulling on it; on the verge of rage and lunacy, her blood lust on the horizon. She then tried to strangle life out of the fox.}_

_Fortunately, the wards placed upon her prevented her from carrying out any more damage. However, Yoko suffered, having lost his appendages. Five tails to be exact, and they were to never come back, nor could anyone reattach them back onto his person._

_These personalities weren't merely split personas, they were more than just that. For one, each personality represented one of the Goddess's past avatar forms. As for the rest, well, Devils are just insane bastards. They are megalomaniacs and possessed a "god-complex", not to mention the fact that they possess dual natures; suffering from a severe case of bipolar, so it seemed._

_{**"We'll grab them by the hair and drag them down. Force their eyes open and remind them."**}_

_"So you've told me before." The Toushin stated in a gentle, apologetic tone. As he moved closer to the fox, he made direct eye contact with him. "Hey. I'll get this guy. I'll make him or her pay for what she did. I promise." Upon placing his hand upon the other's, he gave him a gentle and reassuring squeeze._

_In return, the fox gave him a thin yet sweet smile. "I hope so. Though I must warn you, The Chosen One has a dangerous mind."_

_"Yeah, well. How many people like that have we already came across and dealt away with?" Yusuke prompted, beaming at the fox. "And hey, I'm the hero, remember? I'm The Savior! We already know how the story will REALLY end. That bitch won't stand a chance against me." The Toushin spoke as he leered, a malicious glint in his eyes. "I'll pound her corpse into a bloody pulp! I'll serve her ass on a silver platter. I'm practically Kong-fu action Jesus here!"_

_Kurama's smile broadened, his spirits lifted. "Well, you did manage to defeat her in your previous life. You sent her crashing, down into the burning flames."_

_"See? If what you say is true, then there's no need to worry about it, is there?" Yusuke moved his chair closer to his companion. "I'll beat the bitch. If I had beaten this Royal Bitch of Evil before, I can very well do the same thing again."_

_Kurama moved closer as well. "Have you heard from King Yama yet?"_

_"Not yet." Yusuke answered. "He says he's waiting and that he'll have me formed immediately when he finds this person everyone's looking for. Although, he had informed me about the use of pawns to bring out this Devil person." With an unwinding yawn, he stretched his arms upward, only then to wrap one of them around his foxy friend. "What I don't get is why Koenma has to be left out of the loop of things."_

_"Probably because it's best that he is." Kurama stated, knowing full well already as to why._

_"Eh. You're probably right." Yusuke breathed, his brow knitting slightly. "After all, he's been nothing more than a royal pain in my ass." He then grabbed his glass, grousing incomprehensible swears._

_"Well, he is now working with Kazuma." Kurama enlightened while watching the demon lord down the remainder of the sake._

_Yusuke immediately did a double-take, spitting out his refreshment onto the table. "What? Why?"_

_Yukina nearly jumped out of her seat._

_The fox tried to hold back a chuckle. "Quite frankly, he's the new Spirit Detective."_

_"You've got to be kidding me!" Yusuke exclaimed, finding the news to be unbelievable. "There's no way in Hell!"_

_"No." Kurama answered, a bit more serious this time. "As much as I wish I was, I'm not. He really is the new Spirit Detective. On the bright side, he's keeping Koenma fairly busy. Koenma is in charge over him. I seriously doubt you'll hear from him any time soon."_

_Yusuke threw his head back and roared with laughter. To him, this was too hilarious. Too much._

_"Really? HA! Serves that bastard right for thinking he could manage the job. He's so self-righteous, I hope he gets what's coming to him!" He cried out in between fits of laughter. After a moment or two had passed, he eventually simmered down. "And as for diaper-breath… As long as he's not up on my case anymore, he can go fuck himself." He derided while snapping his fingers. "The royal pain in the neck… Yo, I need a smoke! And a refill on booze here!" He bellowed the latter statement out, giving an order to his servants._

_"Yes, well, apparently King Yama is attempting to put him into good use."_

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

Fortunately, Yusuke had agreed to wait upon his return before heading back to Human World, that way they could return together.

"Tell me," The fox began. "Will The Chosen One possess the same exact name as his father?"

"No." Stated the being, his voice deep and roaring like the sound of a waterfall. "The one you seek will be nameless, because he is one who shall never be named."

Yoko furrowed his brow, his expression laid heavy with burden. "I don't understand."

"The Chosen One will bear the mark of his father upon his forehead," The being informed. "The symbol will be in the shape of a cross within a circle, with five lines sprouting outward in different directions. Hence the meaning as to why he bears the name of his father, for her father was a STAR. Although, rumor has it that his father intimately refers his progeny as "Omen". However, his birth will have been by a miracle. No one will know who his father is, for his mother had conceived him miraculously, by word of tongue. It is only by this symbol, that The Chosen One will be revealed, otherwise his identity will forever remain anonymous. Notwithstanding, his father does walk these worlds, specifically in the form of that of a human."

Yoko opened his mouth, about to speak yet another question. However, the tree already knew precisely what he had came here for… For many had sought for the same answers.

"However," He continued. "If the Chosen's identity is concealed, then so will the mark be. It will have the appearance of a birthmark, which should appear when the human is dead."

"What is the meaning of this?" Yoko demanded, unleashing his rose whip from his thick, silver hair; all the while managing to keep from unveiling himself. "Explain."

The tree regarded the threatening notion nonchalantly, not at all did he feel threatened. Many a time had the fox sought information from him, and this behavior he was far acquainted with.

"If the rumors I hear are true," The creature replied, his tone listless as he elaborated on the details. "That he is, in fact, not only been reborn part human, but also his power sealed… In order for the Chosen One to regain his full power and potential, to awaken and achieve his true form and identity… Not only must these seals be broken, but he must also die, both physically and to himself. The human part of him cannot and must not subsist any longer. Only when the human part of him dies will his identity be at last revealed. Furthermore, his heart must fail. He will no longer possess a beating, living heart, nor would he require air or possess the need to breathe. He will be as one dead. In the meantime, up to this point in time, he will appear as one of virtue and innocence… A righteous being, one with a pure heart, one that seems as though it was made of pure, solid gold."

Bewildered, Yoko did not know the meaning by these words. "How can the human part of him die? Wouldn't he still carry the blood of a human?" As he inquired, he glanced around himself, tugging on the brim of his hood. He hoped no one was here to witness, but he had a funny feeling that he was being watched.

Nearby in the branches of the tree and hiding in the dark thicket of leaves, a flock of demonic ravens were peering down upon him. Normally they possess the bodies of the dead, by borrowing holes and devouring the flesh within carcasses. However, their purpose for being here was unexplainable, other than the fact that they served their Master; The Leader of The Order of The Dragon.

An avian horde was listening in onto the whole conversation, unknown to the fox.

"Negative." Answered the tree. "The blood of The Devil coursing through his veins will not permit it."

"Quickly now, give me all that you know." Yoko insisted. "I wish not to further my stay here."

"The blood will devour the other," The tree continued to enlighten, groaning to himself. He did not really care whether or not the fox was in a hurry. After all, he had endangered himself for coming here in the first place. "Purifying itself, and thus ridding him of all human DNA. To which then, after the human DNA is completely devoured, the blood that remains within will gorge upon his human soul until it exists no more…

"There is a negative side affect, I must inform. Filled with both rage and joy, consumed by utter madness. On the outside, he may appear calm as a clear midnight sky, but on the inside… He is a savage beast waiting to at last be freed. To be who he once was, to be Her again. The Queen of The Damned, The Devil herself…

"The last time The Chosen One was here, the deity was in her Avatar Form. This time, it will be far different. Instead of helping the mortals, this Devil will bring the worlds to an end, her cause driven by revenge. And God will not assist or shine his mercy upon anyone when this time comes…

"I don't see why anyone should bother trying to fight the inevitable." Said the tree as he tilted slightly in place, creating an ominous groaning and creaking sound as he stretched his trunk and limbs. By doing so, some of his leaves rained down onto the forest floor. "What will happen, will happen. The God of these worlds is no longer pleased with any of us in existence, he will permit her to destroy that which he once loved. The worlds have become wicked and ineffective, inside and out. The wicked desires of every individual is eating them all alive, bringing them all to their own destructive end. This is why this era must end, so that a new can begin. The lives of the wicked shall be laid brief, the death of the rest will be their own relief. The Devil shall at last have her revenge."

With a deep frown carved into his features, Yoko accused; "You speak madness. I believe you've lost your mind."

"Madness? No. Rationality? Yes." Stated the tree, his tone now seemingly uppity. "No one can run, no one can hide… Especially you, Yoko Kurama. You can no longer escape your fate. She will be coming for you to finish what she had started, for what you have done to her. Let me assure you, the losses you had suffered were petty. Be fortunate that you had escaped with what little you have left. You cannot stop karma, however, nor the one who sees all and knows everything. Life has been kind to you thus far, but you still have a lot to learn. You will learn, King of Thieves. What you sow, you shall reap in the end."

"My friend, you shouldn't speak such ill will of me." Yoko spat, enraged by the creature's insolence. How could the tree just suddenly turned on him, just like that.

Oh, but deep down, he was afraid. Very much afraid.

"Friend?" The tree repeated with a laugh. "You are not my friend. You, fox, are worth less than the spit of the foulest creature in this territory. It is you and the rest of your kind, vermin, that has brought our worlds to this conclusion. Your guise can no longer save you, for Narakumaru already knows who you are. He's just saving you for the likes of His bride, so that you may suffer the very thorns and barbs you had bound Her with. Any attempt to escape this time is asinine."

Yoko's breath hitched in his throat.

**~FLASHBACK~**

_"Yoko, baby." Yusuke uttered in a hushed tone into his lover's ear, his hand sliding between the folds of his mate's legs, rubbing one of the inner thighs. He then took his tongue and sensually traced the inner lines of his mate's right ear._

_The fox shuddered, arching his neck back, now fully aroused. He appeared deliciously so, his wafting scent invigorating._

_"Why don't you take off your disguise and let me show you how much I need you." Yusuke continued huskily. "Come here. Sit in my lap." He patted his left leg, insisting._

_"An offer I cannot refuse," Kurama breathed his reply, sending him a dazzling smile. "My Lord."_

_She had the voice of what sounded to be an age around eighteen, one that sounded not only feminine but light; like a fresh spring morning, like the dew on the petals of a rose.  
_

_The fox focused, dropping the "disguise" and letting all guards down. And in place, where once sat a red haired gorgeous man, now sat an amazingly beautiful female fox. Her waist was tiny, her quite curves gentle. Slender and petite, with her long and thin sexy legs, and her grapefruit sized mounts upon her bosom. Her wide eyes were like doll's eyes, innocent yet so very appealing._

_She then slithered her way into Yusuke's lap, wherein she discovered her Lord was also aroused. She wrapped her white fur around his throbbing bulge, with her tail draping between his thighs._

_She was, indeed, quite pleased to at last be reunited with him.  
_

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"No longer can anyone assuage their fate," He continued, on a role and enjoying every moment of foretelling what is to come. "Only a number will survive to see the red dawn. And it will be you and your mate who will suffer the worst. You both will pay… For having her tortured and burned alive, for both your betrayal and trickery, for leading Her to be ensnared, for the wards you had placed upon her. You both will pay for your filth and your lies. You will pay for telling the humans that She was sin incarnate, for leading them on and aiding those of Reikai who sought to extinguish her. It will be you two who will be burned by the fires, the very ones used to 'purify' her from existence. And The Order of The Phoenix will at last FAIL…"

**~FLASHBACK: Around 900 Years Ago~**

_**"For betraying me I'll avenge my death!"** The witch swore, struggling with her binds; they were just like barbed wire, courtesy of a species of demon plant. **"My soul will not rest until I have my revenge!" **_

_"You won't be saying that by the time I'm finished with you." Replied the self-proclaimed "Overlord of Evil"; the Demon Lord in this tale. "No. You'll be crying like the filthy whore that you are."_

_**"NARAKUMARU!"** She cried out in anguish, her saintly eyes filled with tears as she lifted her head, screaming towards the heavens. _

_And in return, the sky itself seemed to shutter and bruise, as lightning flashed and thunder roared. _

_"And after that, I'm going to turn you over to the humans." He said as he dragged his razor sharp nails over her face. "And as for your friends, they are already dead."_

_Standing behind him, to his left... Yoko sulked over her wounds, bitter now that five of her tails had been permanently removed from her. Her power had been literally cut in half, down to the size of a four tailed fox youkai.  
_

_The sky had quickly became dark and abysmal, and the wind blew like the roar of a ferocious lion. The spirits of the dead howled and "the soul bringers" whistled and screeched, all flying about them in an upset._

_She was calling them to her with her voice, the siren!_

_ Having heard enough of her screams, he slammed his fist into her, striking her face with such force it took her breath away from her. "He cannot hear you, wench. He cannot help you. And with that ward, you are powerless to defend yourself. And with those binds, you cannot even heal. It is though you are now mortal, now that your powers have been restrained. This is the price you must pay for having chose Him over me, you vile treacherous bitch! Now, shut up and enjoy this!" He snarled the last sentence, gripping and jerking the maiden by her orange hair as he tore all her clothes off from her pale body... _

_To which then he began the torture, all the while fondling and violating her body in the most sacred of places. He made sure to make haste with the work, for soon Narakumaru would break his own binds..._

_Nothing could stop The Dark God then, not even the countless horde of demons._

_It had all been employed as an attempt to restrain him. Something that was going to fail undoubtedly quick.  
_

_But they had not expected her to later tear out her spells, with the use of her own blood whilst she was being burned away... Her spirit fleeted, disappearing into the fog._

_The only way for her to escape was by committing suicide, right at the last minute... Or else those of Spirit World would have apprehended her spirit, only then to take it to "Worlds' Edge", from whence then she would never be able to return._

_And the humans who had participated in her demise were burned away into ashes, destroyed by the fire that Spirit World had unleashed.  
_

_But nevertheless, she had been damned by Spirit World. _

_The Verdict: She had been found Guilty; condemned... For not only being a witch and a "blood sucking apparition" (A vampire), but also for committing suicide. _

_The new system that had taken over all of Reikai would not permit her soul to be at peace, nor would they grant her any blessings, and neither the proper burial ground for the remainder of her mortal vassal. Spirit World, now under new rule, had devised this "Creed".  
_

_Something else that Narakumaru could never forgive. And he made everyone pay savagely, ruing for it with fear, dread and despair. Both The Demon and The Human races bled ever since, after he had spreaded his disease of hatred between every mortal and demon._

_"For True love, I shall avenge! I defy The Creed that damned her!"_

_That Black Devil...  
_

_He became known as "The Dragon of Blood: The Relentless Prince of Pain", "The King of Pain" for short. Oh, but he was SO much more than that, much to the horror of every soul or spirit in existence. He was the main reason why no one dared to go out at night, especially the humans who have become terrified of the dark. He was The TRUE Prince of Terror._

_And as for The Demon Lord, he had perished by The Dark God's hands. To describe his death is inconceivable, there is not a word that can be used or put into picture. Know this, his death had been the most horrific and the most painful. Narakumaru had haunted him down, literally like a hound from Hell.  
_

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"The Chosen One is The Word, The Word is inevitable. And all that stand against her will burn in Hell for all eternity. Narakumaru will fulfill the wishes of His Queen. The Darkness is coming. The Worlds are merely The Devil's playground. You may be able to dance or run with The Devil, but run away you cannot. The time for mourning is now."

And with having said that, his presence became inconceivable and an abrupt silence immediately followed.

From where he stood, Yoko Kurama paled and trembled. His demon heart beating tumultuously, beating like it has never done since for the longest time.

_"I told you."_ Yoko's voice sounded off as his alter-ego began to piece some of the puzzle together.

The long, curly fiery ginger locks. The orpiment eyes. The pale skin.

The extreme change in personality.

The unnerving ability to preform alchemy and the use of magick.

The psychic powers, better yet, a scythe!

And worst of all, the choice of companionship...

Any eye could see that the two were drawn to one another other like magnets, and that there was most definitely chemistry between them.

Oh, and let's not forget our ever lovable, annoying friend: Sun Wukong

How he managed to survive was beyond a miracle. In fact, The Monkey King was notorious for sorting to tricks.

By comparing the past with the present, all thanks to the trip down memory lane, he had found a definite match.

He should have seen this before. But unfortunately, he hadn't. In fact, he was too blind to see, not willing enough to accept it.

The Chosen One had been under their noses THE WHOLE ENTIRE TIME!

And history made sure to repeat itself. They had once befriended The Devil, just like they had done so many years ago.

He muttered beneath his breath; "I have to tell Yusuke."

However, he knew already that Yusuke wouldn't believe him. Hell, he wasn't so sure if he could believe it himself.

No. Yusuke won't believe it. That, he was sure of.

He still hoped that this was merely a coincidence. After all, for all they knew, Kuwabara could be the messenger; the faithful left hand that would guide the way. Or, pretty much, it could just be genetics sliding in.

Being the careful person that he is, Kurama was not going to jump into conclusions. He was not willing to do that, not when one has over a billion options to pick through.

And let's just come to terms here... Kuwabara was just too damn stupid to be The Chosen, or The Messenger for that matter. In laymen terms, there's only one out of a million chances that Kuwabara could possibly bit IT! The man is an eternally walking, breathing, living clown. A dupe. A ninny. A punk. A loser.

[_The Urban Definition of the word "clown": A person who is humourous without intention, therefore is a dumb motherfucker; Someone who is a joke; Someone who thinks they are important but messes everything up; and a term almost always used in a derogatory or degrading fashion._

_Kurama had never felt this way before, this rage, this hatred towards the orange haired man... Not until that little fateful reunion that they both shared. Something about that man stirred both fear and animosity inside of him. The way Kuwabara had treated him was not only rude but unforgivable._ _And the lack or respect that the psychic witch had showered upon him was unforgettable._]

Nevertheless, he'll just have to be more mindful when concerning the ignorant fool.

**…TBC…**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Comments:**

Sorry I won't be going any further into their side of the story. This fiction is, after all, Kuwabara centric. And besides, there's so much fiction out there circulating the other character. Far too many. I'll leave these guys to your imagination. But hey, at least I gave you all a sneak peak.

Also, a "creed" is not just a statement of beliefs or something owned by religion. It's a system of set principles, rules and regulations.

Kurama is a girl in this because.. Well, fox youkai happen to be ALL FEMALE. There's no such thing as a MALE fox, in fact. A clever ruse, yes.

**But I am not bashing Kurama and Yusuke. _In fact, I am actually fond of this pairing. However, I do like YusukexBotan, too, like I like HieixKurama. You can vote on which of these pairings you'd prefer. _  
**

There is a villain in this story, but it is of a matter of opinion as to who it is. In my own opinion, no one (so far) is a villain here. There are two sides at war.

KM17: Thanks for the review. Yes, I keep getting that question a lot. Unfortunately, I cannot answer that as of right now. Just know that they WILL be confronting one another. It's practically inevitable.

Thank you all for reading. Please, please review or leave a comment! It helps me a lot.


	33. Ch 1

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**NEVER ENDING NIGHTMARE**

**[Time Frame: The Present...]**

Kazuma didn't know how he got here.

Nevertheless, he bore in mind what happened before he had arrived here, in this vacant darkness…

**~FLASHBACK~**

_Reficul had guarded him the whole entire night, up until the very time Kazuma's head had hit the pillow._

_Much to his dismay, Shizuru and Keiko had not left yet, both waiting in the main room. The two had decided to take a taxi, rather than to hitch a FREE ride with Kurama and Yukina._

_"You're all still here?" Kazuma slurred the words lazily, feeling groggy for the need of sleep was finally catching up to him._

_He prepared for the worst when his sister drew near to him. No doubt, she was about to slug him one, right in the kisser._

_Instead, to his blatant surprise…_

_She shoved him in the shoulder, only then to hook her left arm around his neck as she gave him a nooky. "You knucklehead! That luggage wasn't mine! Do you honestly think I would leave you?"_

_Kazuma winced upon feeling the knuckles scouring his scalp. "Actually, yes!" He squeaked, still very much afraid of the woman._

_He wasn't sleepy anymore, that's for sure._

_"In your dreams, dumbass!" Shizuru shot right into his ear, before letting go of him. "Though sometimes I wonder why I even put up with you. I guess it's because I have nothing else better to do."_

_"How'bout engaging yourself into another hobby; like knitting…" He grumbled beneath his breath. Upon seeing her raise an agitated brow at him, he smiled and donned a much more chipper tone of voice; "It's both relaxing and time consuming! Better to do that, than to put up with an idiot like me, yes!"_

_He desperately hoped that she would buy it._

_Hey, better to be safe than sorry. And trust him, you don't want to be having to say "sorry" when it comes to Shizuru. She'll beat you, like a vicious junkyard dog. She's was as ornery as a drill sergeant, that woman. Furthermore, Shizuru was a "keepin' it real" type of person; meaning that she never puts up with anyone's shit._

_Needless to say, Shizuru was not impressed. However, she couldn't help but smirk when realized she had left a definite mark on the boy; which meant she could still manage to keep him in line, which ultimately made her job much easier. But then again, there was Ref… In any case, the boy still needed definite training if he still wished to be successful in life. And she believed herself to be the perfect role model for that._

_She was the one who had taught him the basics of street fighting, which says an awful lot about her. Let's just say, that if Yusuke had challenged her years ago, he wouldn't have stood a chance at beating her; she made him look like a choir boy. That girl can fight real dirt, let alone ferociously. Not to mention the fact that she was the champion in wrestling, that is, when she was little. And let's just say, she'd be the one to take a sledgehammer and bash a person's brains in with it; just like she did when demons had attacked their home throughout the years._

_All in all, Kazuma was learning from the best. He had Shizuru, Master Sun, and now his friend Reficul; all who were more than willing to take him under their wings._

_Ref stood there, watching them all with no smirk and no emotion at all. He hadn't even said two words, not even one minor syllable. From all outward appearance, he does not move, and yet, his mind is alive with activity as he surveys the whole entire area from which they all stood._

_On the other side of the frame, however, he had been listening to the whole conversation. Taking in every percentage of it. Kazuma's light streak of cowardice was certainly something he would have to work on. As cute and amusing as it may be, behaving like a sniveling, yellow bellied pussy cat was not going to get the psychic anywhere. He was going to have to break that habit in him, and do it most effectively._

_"I'll be back, lil' bro." stated Shizuru, after taking a brief puff of her cigarette. "I just need to take care of some things, and then I'll be back… To knock some sense into you, just like the good ol' days. And to make sure that you keep wiping your ass."_

_"Oh, great. How kind of you." Kazuma stated dully with much cynicism, a frustrated expression dressing his features._

_Shizuru inhaled her cancer stick, only then to exhale the smoke coolly through pursed lips._

_Kazuma tried to wave the ghastly vapors away, but smoke seemed to be greeting him from, not only one, but also another direction. No, make that three directions._

_He realized that upon surveying his surroundings. Not only was his bossy sister smoking away, Reficul was, too. And to his left, Sun Wukong was puffing away on his traditional styled pipe. What he was smoking, he had no idea, but it certainly wasn't tobacco._

_"Oh, gods!" Kazuma groused. "You people and your oral fixations!"_

_Keiko fought the urge to agree with him upon that. She, too, was waving away the smoke as it crept its way on towards her._

_"Relax, numbskull, it ain't gonna kill ya." Shizuru quipped. "Think of it as an offering of incense. Oh, and by the way, the urge to smoke is inherited."_

_"I've heard that one before." Kazuma remarked tenaciously. "…Which is why I'd rather stick to lollypops, the safest alternative to smoking."_

_"So says you now. But you'll suck more than that before you're through." Shizuru injected._

_Not appreciating the comment very much, Kazuma immediately stood his ground. "HEY! WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" He bellowed at her, his body heat surfacing as his face twitched in irritation. He knew precisely what she meant, but she clearly had stepped over the line with that one._

_"It means exactly what sounds, dumbass!" Shizuru countered, snapping at him._

_Kazuma smacked himself. He shouldn't have even bothered. He should have already known that getting on HER case wouldn't sound anything._

_Shizuru took another puff of her cigarette, before tossing away what was the rest, in this case it was the butt end, and then extinguished it with the bottom of her shoe. "I'll be back in a few days, due to how far away this place is from home. You sure chose a heck of a place to lay your head, Kazuma. All the way out in the woods, right up on the mountain like some creepy old recluse."_

_Kazuma twitched a third time that night, and here he was expecting her to refer to him as a country bumpkin. Oh, there was doubt about it, she was thinking that, too. But besides her attempts to deliver him her half-assed terms of endearment…_

_It was just a two hundred eighty-six mile drive, give or take. The approximate travel distance can be around 217.95 nautical miles to 236.9 nautical miles. With all good respect, that's the equivalent of a four to five hour drive, that is considering if traffic conditions are decent._

_"Yamagata City isn't THAT far away," Kazuma blatantly pointed out, rather irked that he had to endure comments coming from the peanut gallery. "Especially if you were one who happened to be settled on one side of the ghettos."_

_"While also subsisting in a shit faced of a city, out of all the ones that so happen to surround the mountain… YOU chose this place, not me." Shizuru accused._

_"Pardon me that it's my fault that you all don't happen to live in Tokyo." Kazuma snapped back at her, bristled._

_Shizuru snorted at her brother. "And another thing, pretty boy… Remember to always use a condom. Unless you prefer the feel of skin against skin whilst engaging into raw friction."_

_Those latter comments had kindled the fires within, and had caused the hair upon his head to stand right up._

_"THAT'S IT!" Kazuma spat as he stomped his foot down, both peeved and horribly mortified. "GET OUT OF HERE!" His eyes burned like the sun, as though they were literally on fire. "If you think those punch lines are funny, I'll have you know that it's the punch that no one sees coming that's HAR-HAR-larious! Like a fist in your face!"_

_And the man wonders why he's consistently lacking in the friendship department. Most normal people would reconsider the offer of being his friend... But then again, lunacy was more common than one would hope._

_"Eh, then again…" Shizuru said drolly, whilst placing a finger upon the tip of his nose. She practically ignored his threats, much to Kazuma's dismay. "You are getting to that age where you don't need one anymore. It's by time you settle for a life mate."_

_Kazuma immediately faltered, then turned completely red by that comment._

_"Look he's blushing!" Botan pointed out, her hand over mouth in an attempt to conceal her laughter. "He's positively radiant! I've never seen him glow like that before!"_

_"Careful, big guy," jested Shizuru, now addressing Reficul of all people. "He might make you fight for it!"_

_"I look forward to it." He growled his reply, though not an angry growl but one of pure lust. A devious glint was shining in his eyes. The demon was now avid, grinning like a beast._

_Kazma's eyes flashed with anger, hissing like a rancorous feline…_

_Only then to have the dark deity emulated him, huskily saying; "Kitten got claws." He said it as though he already knew what he was in for. And, in fact, he did._

_Mind you, he didn't say any of that to please them. No, Ref doesn't try to please anyone, let alone care less about anyone's opinion of him. Just like Hiei, this unsociable deity made no attempts whatsoever to obtain friends. Simply put, he implied those comments for the pure purpose of getting under his mate's skin._

_Then, as if things couldn't get possibly worse, all three of the girls had the audacity to go into a fit of giggles; like naughty little school girls. They just HAD to have the last laugh in all of this._

_Of course she knew that they had all reached a stalemate. Unlike most siblings, they shared a mental link. She also knew about his sexual orientation, way before it was ever out in the opening, come forward, out of the closet._

_"You're humanitarianism is going to someday get you killed." Shizuru thought whilst shooting him a look, knowing full well already that he could hear her…_

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

Kazuma griped at the memory, behaving all spit fire and whatnot.

But that wasn't important. What was, is that something had grabbed him and brought him here, the very moment he had shut his eyes.

And despite that he was now alone, an unnerving sense of fear had overcame him.

He had been running, putting on a burst of speed he thought he had been incapable of.

Running in this darkness, with no clue as to where he was going. But along somewhere, he felt as though he was running for his life. As though something was following him, the unseen presence riding on his heels.

"Go away." He heard a voice whisper, only to soon join a chorus of chanting. The words were used as though they were part of a prayer, and they were getting louder by every second.

From where they were coming from, it sounded they were behind him. Following him like a wolf on pursuit of its prey.

Retentively, he recognized these voices. From somewhere he had heard them before.

A light flashed before him, which drew him to a sudden halt.

By the time the blinding light had faded, he realized that he was now standing within a grassy field. But not just any field, around him were slabs and pillars of stone. Monuments to the deceased.

He looked up and around, he saw the tall shadows of what appeared to be man-made mountains, stretching upwards and reaching for the sky.

Apparently he was now located in what was often referred to as a "cemetery" and many cities have them, as odd or macabre as it may seem. Nevertheless, he felt safe here…

Or so he thought.

"You don't belong here!" Came the voice of what sounded to be a boy.

"Leave, we don't want you here!" Joined a girl, sounding to be jeering along side the boy. "Monster!"

He turned to see who the culprits were, his long curly locks blowing in the listless wind; his hair was a complete mess, but not surprising, so was the rest of him. He had on a tatty pair of what seemed to be oversized boots, too big for his feet to fill in. His loose and baggy jeans tattered and torn, and his shirt was littered with holes, and the sleeves were torn off at the seams.

He narrowed his eyes, squinting them against the light of the brilliant sun; all the better to see who he was now up against... But he could only see silhouettes standing in the not-so-far distance.

He could not make out head nor tail as to whom they were, being that their identity had been masked by shadow. However, one of the children seemed to be behaving loutishly, throwing insults and making faces directly at him.

Both anger and self-pity swelled up inside of him. He felt small again, as though he somehow he was nothing more than a hapless child.

"Take that you freak!" yelled the boy as he threw a stone at him.

The stone hit him in the head.

"Look at him, he's so retarded!" The very same boy taunted; he was apparently the leader of this squad of hellions. He was the type of foolhardy kid that picks on the defenseless, the kind that riles one's nerves and brings one's own blood to a boil; in other words, a tyrant. "He didn't even try to dodge it!" But all kids are tyrants, practically thoughtless of other people's feelings.

His bottom lip quivered as his finger probed the newly formed indention now in his forehead. How he wanted to turn the tables on that brat; the desire was so strong, it had became a gluttonous lust.

"What's wrong? Baby gonna cry? WA WA WA! Boohoo!"

By then, the rage had began to consume him, and in-turn he saw nothing but red.

And before he knew it, the children around him were heard screaming.

Deep down, the screams brought him a surmountable joy, an elation that was almost uncontainable.

But before he could breathe, before he could even so much as blink…

Everything around him, everything in a mile radius, began to blow away, taking away with it the children who became nothing more than smoldering ash in the matter of seconds. All there was left was fire and eerie carcasses of what used to be there.

He stared in absolute horror, his body trembling like a mighty earth shake, stammering upon the scream that fought to evade him.

Everything, everyone around him was now dead.

He was graced with an absolute silence as ash began to rain down from the heavens.

It was though a bomb had hit and devastated the place… And yet, somehow, he had survived.

And there was nothing but silence.

Then came the invading darkness, swallowing him up as it had done the last time.

He was alone again.

All alone.

Hollow and empty, with nothing but a piercing silence swimming in his head.

A roaring darkness had swept across what appeared to be now a blackened room, like an evil coverlet binding around an innocent infant, strangling the child with a cold and unfeeling callousness. The only light that could be seen shined through the broken windows, the remains of glass opaque with age and neglect.

Sharp and jagged edges sparkled and glistened in this amber dimness, the myriad of shards that blanketed these dusty and sullied floors. Everything here was broken, save for the well weathered vanity mirror above the scoured and clawed black dresser, which was located in a far corner of the room.

This space was obviously vacant, in fact, abandoned. A place where no one goes anymore.

Papers were scattered about, left without a care, making this place seem all the more like a wasteland than an actual place to live.

The burnt led based paint could be seen chipping away by time, leaving the walls almost bare, revealing the rust and decay. And upon these walls, scornfully written in red; "I am vengeance! I am justice! I am darkness incarnate! I am The Executioner! I AM GOD!"

Despite that these words looked to be forged in a thick paste, finger-paint for an example, the fear it had enforced was ever real.

He shuffled through the broken glass, wondering to himself as to who could have written this. And how the hell did he get here in the first place.

He ran a tired hand down his face, only to realize that his fingers had left something behind in return. Something wet and sticky, and smelled of a iron… No, a coppery odor, or more like a rusting metal, then again it was more on the lines of something else more distinctive.

He immediately held out his hands before him, palms facing upright, and dressed them with his own eyes.

Blood.

His hands, especially the tips of his fingers, were covered in it. And it matched the color that stood out in contrast upon the walls.

Had he been the one who had committed the atrocious act?

By that time, he realized that his attired had changed once again. This time, he wore all black. Black slacks, fashioned with a solid black uwagi, which was overlapped by an open black trench coat. He wore black fingerless gloves, and black knee high boots, even his nails were black. Moreover, his long hair had been fixed, now tied in numerous braids.

He fretted, rubbing his hands together for any proof or sign of injury. However, he came to realize that there was none there. No cuts, no holes had been plucked. He didn't even have a scratch on him. Not even a bruise. Where the blood came from was now a complete mystery to him.

And then it suddenly came to him, hitting him like a ton of bricks… When he laid his eyes upon the pentacle that had been etched into the floor, carved into the wood with looked to be with a knife.

He had been here before.

"We must seal this darkness!" He heard someone yell, a voice that belonged to a much older man. "So that this demon will no longer bring harm to any of us!" The sound seemed to be coming from within the room itself.

He looked around, but saw that no one was there. In this place was nothing more than a thick haze, a thin yet lingering fog.

"Is anybody there?" He called out, but no one seems to hear him. He could only hear the sound of his voice, which bounces off the walls and echoes back at him.

After that, the ringing silence had returned…with vengeance.

But then he saw something fluttering in the light, casting fragmented spiraling shadows.

A female Hypolimnas Bolina; The Great Eggfly or Blue Moon Butterfly to be more precise.

It had fluttered in, only to then land upon this left arm, near his wrist.

Suddenly, images flashed before him.

With most haste, he clamped his hands over his temples.

Images flooded into his mind; like blood rushing into the brain whilst fulfilling an orgasm.

They were of them, of all three of his would-be friends or past teammates, and of himself…

But he was not counted amongst them, nor did he stand within their circle. He was seen separate from them. And unlike the others, he was faceless. It was beyond the lack of expression, he literally had no eyes, no nose, and neither did he possess a mouth.

He stumbled into a crawling formation, heading towards the large, floor leveled windows. The inner framework of it reminded him of a spider's web.

After carefully pulling himself to the shattered pane, he peeked outward onto the world.

Everything was pitch black, except for the burning buildings that surrounded this madhouse.

Down below, he could hear the sirens blaring.

**…TBC…**

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**

**Author's Comments:**

I believe I've lost readers with the last chapter, not that it's really a chapter. Perhaps it had been a bit too much, but I had to bring it.

I do love all pairings, by the way... However, I haven't fully decided upon who is going to end up with who. Minus Kazuma, of course.

And yes, Kurama is in denial. Or will be, pretty much...

This story is going to get darker. Much darker. And it's still got a ways to go.

I know that some people want a little bit of mystery. I'll try to fulfill that. However, many manga and anime series don't provide much mystery, because the audience already knows what is going to happen. It's really the suspense that gets us. I can name various animes, and one of them happens to be Sailor Moon.

I have special plans for Koenma, so that you'll know.

BTW, I chose Yamagata City because that is where the creator of YYH grew up. I researched the city and even looked at pictures. He most definitely had modeled their home town after his. Besides, the city they lived in didn't match up with Tokyo.

If you'd like to see more, please review or comment.

Because I really don't know if I've lost people here. Seriously. I think everyone's just about lost interest in this story.


	34. Ch 1 p2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**BOADICEA'S DESPAIR**

_After carefully pulling himself to the shattered pane, he peeked outward onto the world._

_Everything was pitch black, except for the burning buildings that surrounded this madhouse._

_Down below, he could hear the sirens blaring._

"What is this place?"

He heard clamoring, but he saw not a soul, just the sound of the wind as it fondled the twisted sheets covering metal skeletons. And by turning his ear to hear above, he caught a roaring and yet humming resonance of what he perceived to be coming from passing engines.

Not that he was surprised, the place was an utter disaster zone, fitting along the lines of being ground zero… Just like the grisly pictures illustrating the aftermaths of warfare.

Soot and ash was everywhere, it coated just about everything in sight.

Pitch-black merged with rustic orange, like liquid black tea in a cup, the atmosphere had a dingy air. In the sky, a blood red moon offered little to no light.

As the pulsing dizziness finally faded, he maneuver himself gracefully onto his feet; by arching his back and pushing his body, he used sheer physical force to avoid touching the floor, and finished it with a back-flip.

"This is not my apartment…" He muttered as he eyed his environment, all the while ambling his way over towards the dresser.

He ran his fingers through a thick layer of grunge-like material, which lied upon the crown of the dresser. Though the age was tarnishing it around the edges in a freckled pattern, the mirror was quite clear and still retained it's silvering in the center. However, the looking glass refused to reflect any lucidity into this situation.

He saw nothing but a faceless figure as his reflection.

Out of a seething moment of rage, he slammed his fist into his reflection, smashing and breaking the mirror into countless fragments.

It had tormented him, unleashing those inner insecurities he wished not to face; which had lasted only for a moment's time, for it had gone out in an instant.

...For the faceless reflection had validated a simple fact. A question that had always been lurking on the back of his mind.

He began to tremble, before he pushed himself away from the dresser. He lamented to himself, wishing for times that seemed much better than this void called life.

This place reeked of anguish and despair. The overall atmosphere was troubling, as though something terrible had taken place here. And everything was black place, save for the creepy wording on the walls and a door.

Wait, a door. Perhaps it lead the way out of this hole in the wall.

Without warning, the door had mysteriously opened by itself, creaking and moaning in the most crawly of fashions. A strange, but also shuddersome occurrence. To make matters seem all the more hair-raising, there was an ominous pitch darkness that stood right at the doorway.

A hot breeze immediately blew in from that precise direction, thickening the air with an overwhelming sense of dread. The scent of the air was musty, like an old crypt, blended with a concoction of blood and decay. It had a biting metal essence, one so pungent that his tongue cringed inside his mouth, his taste buds stinging for it was so foul.

It was as if something was beckoning him to come, as though the darkness itself wanted him to "come hither and see".

He was drawn; like water from a well.

Moments later, he found himself wobbling his way on out through that door, and down what happened to be stairway. Feeling his way down through the darkness, his legs felt like jelly, as though he were bouncing on the balls of his feet; which was hard to imagine, since he was wearing boots.

The atmosphere was much more heavier here, more dense.

His eyes were adjusting to the dark rather quickly, so much so that he no longer needed to feel the walls for support. Which was fantastic, since the paint on the walls were crumbling at the touch of his fingertips.

From what he could make out, these walls were not much different from the ones in the room. However, to his discovery, there was something that separated these walls from the ones he had seen in the room.

For upon these walls, were symbols and intricate pictures etched into the walls. Sigils, to be more specific. But they weren't just upon the walls, they were also carved into the ceiling.

"What the balls?"

Alchemist cryptograms, transmutation circles, three, four, five, six, and eight pointed star pentagrams, and more; all of the elements, all of the metals, every form of astronomy, etc. Every sigil ever written and those in which he had never laid his eyes upon before. Every picture from The World Tree to The Anatomy of Man…

The most unsettling aspect was that the other sigils seemed to be in his own penmanship, as though they were drawn or carved by his own hand. A recording forged so that they would never be forgotten.

Was he supposed to see this? Was this why he had been brought here?

But what was most prevalent, what stood out the most, was…

The serpent devouring it's own tail, encircling what is to be an ancient depiction of the phoenix bird, with the symbols of life and death in its claws. And surrounding the serpent were the five elements; fire, earth, air, water, and spirit, all located at five different points…

Engraved into a colossal twofold doorway at the end of the path, one which happened to be chained closed with a sign written in blood that read…

"Seal?" Kazuma interpreted with bewilderment, now standing before the gargantuan doorway. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

And in front of those doors, where the chains were also linked to, was an immense iron gate that reminded him of a cage. And that very same chain lead right back upstairs, and had ended right at the room he had exited out of a moment ago.

It was an incredibly long chain.

However, the tail end of it had been broken from what it appeared, as though some force had literally sliced the chains off the other door.

From between the cracks, seeped a dark and ominous energy, forming into a multitude of appendages; hands with arms like tentacles and fingers with claw-like tips. They were all scratching at the chains and reaching for the seal.

He could feel the power surging from behind the doors, and it was immense. Unlike any he has ever sensed or felt before.

Suddenly, a shock of energy ignited from the seal; similar to bolts of electricity. It had been made clear in less than a heartbeat, that whatever lied in wait behind those doors, the seal was there to restrain and force it back. However, the seal seemed to be weakening and its losing power. Slowly smoldering away and cracking, breaking like glass under too much pressure.

Kazuma recognized this source almost immediately. The energy had "Kuwabara" written all over it, though not him but someone else with power and great talent.

The purpose of the chains, though, he could not comprehend. By judging the energy signature or spirit pressure, they had been placed by another source…

But who's?

That was the question.

Someone had place them there. And by reading the vibes emitting off of them, the chains had been placed there out of acrimony. Hatred and malice was present.

Taken aback, Kazuma backed away and looked around himself.

There was no other way out, except through those barricaded doors.

And something behind those doors was beseeching him, as though all the answers were to be found behind that point.

It was calling him to the other side.

"Where am I?"

**oOoOoOo**

[A silent conversation within wits...]

_"The second seal is at last breaking. However, I am afraid an unseen force is trying to prevent him from reaching his full potential. It restrains him from going any further, unfortunately. Talk about making matters all the more complicated."_

_"It's a ward. Someone had placed it upon him in this life. It had not been there when he was a child. Not even the moment afterward when the sage had sealed him."_

_"Ah, yes. I see. He had acquired it at a later time in his life. Someone had cursed him with their undying hatred. Someone whom, beforehand, had been engulfed by incredible emotions for him, thus had blindly casted it upon him...out of whatever reason he found suitable to put an attachment. But despite the anger that had taken place, that hatred that lingers on for him, that person's soul subconsciously refuses to let go and refuses to let him move on."_

_"That useless Halfling… He's the one responsible. I will crush him, then scrape him off the bottom of my boot like the piece of shit that he is. He is nothing more than pure dog shit."_

_"Aye, in your opinion he always was. Perhaps he should receive a helping hand to break these chains, once and for all… Before his own malice causes him to self-destruct. You and I both know what will happen, so we cannot allow that to happen... On a more positive note, he will at last be able to yield the physical form of his weapon, rather than merely the energy like he has been."_

_"He better cross onto the other side... Or there will be a price to pay very soon."_

_"There's always a price needed to be paid with you... Good to see that you have not changed, old friend."  
_

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

Sorry that this chapter is SO short.

Thanks goes out to those who have reviewed.


	35. Ch 1 p3

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** …What to say, what to say… Well, this story is finally alive again… That, and things are taking a turn from here. Things are going to come out as well as change. Stay tuned and you'll see.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**TRAUMA AND THE USURPERS**

**[Demeter's Call]  
**

"Where am I?" He questioned himself once more. He didn't except to receive an answer, though he dearly wished for one.

All at once, the sacred seal had broken, and with a thunderous bang the tentacles of energy forged into a whirling pool of dark energy, with bands of vermillion flame. The sudden eruption caused the psychic to almost lose his balance. The sound of the blast reverberated through his entire body, jolting him off his feet and triggering his reflexes.

His reaction was to get back, leaping backwards about twelve feet.

To paint a better picture: A concoction of red-hot crimson fused with an acerbic orange, which incased a foreboding blackness, and flecks of gold alike to pixy dust. This angry red aura, an inferno churning over the edges of an immense caldron, bubbled like boiling H2O. The golden dust, which bore the dazzling characteristics of diminutive stars and flowed like blood within veins, was that of Divine Energy. And as for the blackness itself, gusts of wind had instantly ignited, like a small yet mighty bomb, with properties similar to that of a vortex or portal.

The chain, however, had not been affected by the blast and had obdurately stayed intact. The same went for the black iron gates. As for the doors, it was hard to say, for they remained closed though a great amount of energy was stretching outwards across these gargantuan objects.

He was now nude, and much to both his astonishment and utter mortification, his skin's complexion had became like alabaster.

His jaw dropped, his eyes the size of saucers.

"WHERE THE HELL DID ALL OF MY CLOTHES GO?" In horror, he shrieked.

The symbols had emerged, revealing themselves to him like they had done before, but this time included ones that he had never seen before upon the palms of his hands and his fingertips.

On each hand, in the center of his palms, is a triangle inscribed in a circle with "The All Seeing Eye" in the center of each. And upon his fingertips, were runes that symbolized celestial bodies.

A fluent energy flowed through his being, surging into his hands and emitted out of his fingertips. The feeling was like a thousand needles prickling the surface, which quickly became a rather numbing sensation in a matter of seconds.

Kazuma stared at his hands, both shocked and horrified. Before his eyes, unfolded a transformation that would perhaps haunt his mind forever.

In the center of his palms, his flesh began burn. Almost immediately, a slit formed on each of his hands, right dead center in eyes that symbolized an omnipotent god. The rest of these symbols, that lied within the center of each pentagram, began to follow suit.

The folds of skin began to pull back, parting to form peculiar shaped luminous ovals; two sides, both opposing one another, tear off with each oval. In less than a minute this intense light had faded, only to reveal dilating magenta orbs with hints of red and traced in vermillion rims; the same exact color of his "spirit flyswatter", and in other words- these freaky eyes were pink!

[_Not violate. Not indigo or green. PINK!_]

The whites of these eyes were sparkly; precisely like his aura had once been when he had drawn his sword with the use "Beautiful" Suzuki's helpful equipment.

Although, while the irises were mostly pink, the pupils themselves were a magnificent golden hue.

[_Okay, he admitted it, deep down within himself in silence... If he didn't appear mad gay before, he certainly did now. Gay as in "stupid", not the other offensive use of the term._]

Just then, something took a hold of him from behind, grasping firmly upon his shoulders before pulling him back with such a horrendous force.

That feeling, that unbearable feeling had returned. Whatever it was that had chased him here, had him once again in its foul clutches…

He tried to fight against it, to free himself from its hold, but it was to no avail. Worst of all, it was now suffocating him, stealing away the breath from his lungs.

It was as if the air around him was vacating.

The world shattered around him; like bone china or a Champaign glass constructed of the finest crystal.

Everything but himself had chattered into myriad of pieces, replaced by an abysmal blackness.

But it did not end there. No.

He endured a sensation of falling, plummeting down "to not even the gods know where"…

A place of turmoil and unyielding gloom…

Of night terrors.

And upon him, came into vision, shackles.

He was chained up from neck to ankle, and make no mistakes, they resembled the ones upon the doors. Precisely so, they were one and the same.

Voices in the dark suddenly filled his ears, weaving in and out of clarity, littering his drums with screams of suffering and despair…

_"Kuwabara!" "No!" "KUWABARA!" "Boss!" "PLEASE, HELP US!" "NO!"_

Was all that he could manage to make out of the infernal noise; white noise, or so it was commonly known amongst paranormal investigators.

Overcome by realization of these whom implored of him, the familiar voices of a not so distant past. With both horror and remorse he remembered, an absence of self that he could never forgive… The day when his boys had perished, murdered before the prime of their existence. He had not been there, but the message of their anguish and fear had reached him otherwise.

…But see them, he did not.

He had been told that they had met their demise by the hands of humans, but his heart had told him that those facts were only half true. That another had been behind the outrageous deed, but those of Reikai were not willing to agree... In fact, they had declined his requests, refusing to look into the scene of the crime.

In turn, he had been left to drink in this despair, alone, along with their families who had suffered incredibly from this tragedy.

It was Oboku's voice… The heartrending way of how he pleaded for it all to stop, begging and screaming to make it all go away, that plagued him the most.

Those boys were not only killed, but tortured in spirit… Their souls had writhed, like dry wheat in the sun, as they were hacked into pieces.

It had been obvious that this had not been the work of ordinary men. And the gang that had been held responsible, apprehended and held for questioning, had not the faintest recollection of that passing incident.

Hot tears prickled the brims of his eyes. Something that had not occurred in an awful long time.

Suddenly, he could hear lewd laughter coming from all around, from every side of him as though he was surrounded. They were there, whoever they were, reveling in his pain. Impertinent laughter, by no mean innocuous; like a crowd of children making sport of an unfortunate soul for kicks.

_"We better rip out all of his feathers,"_ He heard someone speak, owning a tone that was low and insidious. _"Less he learns to fly."_

_"Pathetic, flightless bird!"_ Spoke another scathingly, deriding him for what it was worth. _"What's good of a bird if it can't take flight? Dumb and useless!"_

_"He's as good as stone."_

_"Look at him, how gross!"_

He could feel them all touching him, reaching for him with their cold and clammy hands. Unpleasant as they were dank, he recognized this sensation and knew very well that these extremities belonged to the souls of the dead. They moaned in misery, clinging onto him desperately; as though their entire existence depended upon it. Their nails digging into him, breaking through skin.

Instantaneously, he became distraught. And the darkness swirled around him.

_"YOU RUINED MY LIFE!"_ roared the voice of his father, the abusive bastard who was now six feet under.

In his mind, or so he supposed, he beheld the Half-breed and the fox… Throwing their heads back, laughing at him; both literally caught in a mad state of fits.

He screamed inside of his head, for there was no breath in him to pass through his vocal cords.

On key, a diabolical laugh erupted from out of nowhere, greeting him to let him know that this unseen force was still present. The possessor was obviously wicked, or possessed evil intentions, it was clear to see.

Thoughts of suicide came, contemptuously entering his mind without remorse. As well as the times when he had risked his own life for another, the past pains returning as though they were fresh as the morning.

The pain grew stronger by every passing second, grinning with malice.

He was a stark naked, tormented freak of nature. Both shame and anguish could not get any worse than this.

Suddenly, a voice of a woman cried out; _"ERIK!"_

A woman who's voice rang through the darkness like a bell, tolling with tragedy…

And somehow, though it was strange, he felt a familiarity…

…Like a mother to her son.

**…**

With an unexpected jolt and thereupon like a thunderbolt, Kazuma shot upwards into an immediate sitting position. Alarm was prominently seen over his features, his sweat covered body trembling, and his eyes wide and pupils dilated and vacant; a characteristic commonly found in victims suffering from Post Traumatic Syndrome.

His heart was throbbing, slamming repetitively against his insides.

The psychic had jolted out of his sleep, as though he had been caught aflame.

"It's about time you've awakened." Came Reficul's voice, a low gruff tone mingled with concern and irritation.

But the demon was nowhere in sight.

Had it all been just a dream?

_"No, it couldn't have been... It was all too real."_

That or he was actually going crazy; his mind slipping from him faster than he could manage to grab a hold. _  
_

**#4#5#6**

_"And if the dam breaks open many years too soon_

_And if there is no room upon the hill_

_And if your head explodes with dark forebodings too_

_I'll see you on the dark side of the moon."_

-Pink Floyd; "Brain Damage"

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

The third part of chapter One is complete... And so is this chapter, at last.

I've been sick as of late. So, sorry if updates are slow. I was aiming for something demented in his chapter, but couldn't go too far with it on the fact of... Well, it's a secret. XP

Saya: Thank you. As you wish, I shall. I wanted to do so anyway.

KM17: Thank you! Why yes, yes, he is... So close, yet SO FAR AWAY.

Thank you all for reading, please review! I appreciate it immensely!


	36. Ch 2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them...much. *shifts eyes*

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**IN NOCTEM**

_"Carry my soul into the night _  
_May the stars guide my way. _  
_I glory in the sight _  
_As darkness takes the day..." _

-Lyrics by Nicholas Hooper

**oOo**

_"It's about time you've awakened." Came Reficul's voice, a low gruff tone mingled with concern and irritation._

_But the demon was nowhere in sight._

_Had it all been just a dream?_

_"No, it couldn't have been... It was all too real."_

_That or he was actually going crazy; his mind slipping from him faster than he could manage to grab a hold._

The psychic looked around himself, discovering that the room was now in an utter mess; a total quagmire, as though someone had opened The Pandora's box by just a hair.

The room was littered with deep slashes; walls, the floor, and even the ceiling, with deep gashes that appeared to be claw marks. And bombarded with handprints, indubitably singed by a source of excessive heat. Truly an alarming sight to behold, eliciting absolute horror and dread. It was as though someone or something was trying to tear the very walls around him down, if not burn the place to a cinder.

Not only did the walls have slashes and burns, but his stuff had been moved about, scattered all over the room. His dresser was face down, lying upon the floor, with all of the drawers removed, thrown against the walls, and broken with their contents spilled. And the pictures upon the walls, old traditional scroll paintings, had been ripped and torn down.

It was as though a ghastly, savage animal, one from another realm, had went rampant.

All the more disturbing, was that even his coverlet had been damaged; frayed and lacerated into millions of pieces.

Of course this terrified him, only a fool would overlook this; but he was rather plucky, for nerves of steal he did have, never the type to tremble in his boots or quiver in the knees.

[_He was more of a screamer, and more likely to have a spaz-attack. He was a loud, noisy fellow, naturally… Though he had quieted down quite a bit over the years. He wasn't as bad as he used to be, which was quite an improvement from his point of view._]

Nowadays, he was usually he was a light sleeper. His senses ever on a constant alert, but this he had missed. He must have been dead to the world.

Upon moving, he winced, quickly realizing that his back throbbing like hell once he had regained his resolve. Both sore and itchy, it felt inflamed and irritated.

But that wasn't the only matter that was bothering him, because apparently he now also possessed some sort of skin ailment. All over his body, particularly in certain spots, were burning feverishly; his blood had surfaced to the skin, in light red patches that covered these exact locations.

[_He was more than glad that it had been all a dream, for if he had sprouted eyes... He would be the Shrimp's twin._]

Furthermore, to make matters all the more uncomfortable, both his veins and nerves were rolling and ticking like crazy; as though his body had drunken in the madness brought onto him by that unsettling dream.

He figured that these conditions were simply neurological, nothing more.

With a little bit of mind power or concentration, the pain in his body began to subside, and so did the rest of the bizarre symptoms. His body recovered completely in nothing flat.

Thinking back, at the end of nightly fright, he recalled the voice of a woman…

Her voice held such great care, but also enriched with trepidation, and carried a profound sense of woe; like the deafening sound of a mother's scream, when she took word of the passing of her babe… She called out a name, a name that wasn't his own, but seemed as though it had been or should have. He couldn't place it, but he felt as though he had known her.

Nevertheless, he wondered who this "Erik" was.

That's when The Count occurred to him, the enigmatic gentleman who seemed to be the proprietor of that ghastly city he had come to call "home".

Yes, you heard right. The stranger who possessed power over the mayor was a Count, though people referred to him as being a Prince. From the grape vine, he heard word that the man was one hell of a natty-daddy dresser; he wore a snazzy suit, a top hat, carried a cane, and sometimes even wore a cape. The style of his attire was consistently Victorian.

"Erickson" He muttered to himself soon afterward, unable to keep the word from his lips…

That was The Count's surname.

Sure it sounded odd to use only the first two syllables, but not for Kazuma. Many people, namely in his earlier days, referring to him by the "Kuwa" moniker rather than to address him properly as one ought.

Obviously, the man was not from here. He was not of this country.

But how does a foreigner go about laying claims to another part of the world?

And most importantly… Why was HE here?

Kazuma didn't know much about him, nor had he ever met him personally.

The psychic had reckoned that the woman was a ghost, but phantom or not, you would think she could tell who was who. Certainly, she should be able to tell the Count and him apart.

There was more questions than answers.

But he knew that he must set all these matters aside for now, that he must clear his mind, and be as The Void… For this was not the way of the warrior, the way of a true samurai.

_"Do not go after the fly, let the fly come to you" _his master had taught him.

For far too long, he had allowed his mind to be contaminated by self doubts and fears. If he was going to be a warrior, he must live as a warrior.

The way of the Warrior, as well as the meaning of a "True strategist" is that of somebody who has made mastery of many art forms away from that of the sword… Which is why he must learn all that he can and never, never cease in acquiring more knowledge and skill.

_"A warrior must find his opponent's weakness…and make him suffer for it. To take his strength and use it against him. Make him beg for mercy. Once he is incapacitated, either he forfeits or you dispose of him... In other words, the enemy must fall." _

He must therefore be rid of these toxic thoughts, before they manage to poison him… Because this was his ultimate weakness.

He must empty his mind, but never forget what he has learned. By doing this, the better he can best his enemies.

After rolling out of bed, he shuffled through the cluttered floor, and head onward towards the window.

The head of his bed lied in the north, the door in the east, the dresser to the south, and the window to the west.

A warm orange contrasted against blue shadows of the room, stretching outward upon the wooden planks of the floor…

The sun was drifting away from sight, sinking under the horizon. The brightest of stars twinkled like diamonds...

[_The stars were so beautiful, so dazzling and inviting. If only he could fly, he would at last experience what it feels to be free._]

Well, looks as though he had a day-mare instead.

He wondered where Ref was...

His psychic senses, which have progressed amazingly over the night, automatically provided the answer for him...

His friend was prowling the grounds around the temple.

**oOoOo**

Someone, from beyond the horizon, had placed an invisible eye upon his beau.

And it wasn't just the psychic's father; the man always kept ever constant eye upon his offspring, even though he is never physically present.

Sam was ever vigilant over Seth, "_The Appointed One_" and better known as "The Renowned Deity of Evil and The Night"...

...Watching the lad from his thrown in The Underground.

But no.

No, this was someone else, someone different.

The air that loomed in from the west was like a miasma of malicious intent, whether or not it could be helped. For what loomed beyond the trees were creatures of darkness, drawn in by the breaking of the second seal.

His mate was afraid of his own darkness, which was trying to heed him a fair warning. Ultimately, he was subconsciously afraid of himself and too oblivious to realize that.

This fear was as ridiculous as being terrified of one's own shadow.

Reficul didn't know what infuriated him more, being watched from afar or his mate's unyielding fear and insecurities.

The reason why the latter was so provoking to The Dark Prince, however…

Was that the psychic was attacking himself, without knowing it; putting himself in a rock and a hard place, for he was unimpeded and most likely to attack anyone and not at all be aware. And all because he was resisting, rather than accepting who he was. Worst of all, he had no control over it, his darkness, which made the circumstance all the more disastrous.

Ref knew he had his work cut out for him. Training Kazuma was going to prove to him, that it was going be a lot harder than he had originally thought it would be. In other words, this endeavor was not going to turn out to be a piece of cake.

Because if he could not control himself, how was he to rule and govern over creatures such as these?

...The demented, life sucking wraiths that loom outside this property's boundaries.

Not very likely, if he keeps on living in a state of self-denial like this.

Moreover, another adamant issue was unfolding; a nightmare in the eyes of his lover…

A vengeful spirit, merciless as the freezing rain. He was the dark embodiment of integrity, the relentless igniter of immortal fear. With a fire that rises behind those eyes, ever the sinful saint, to turn these streets of gold into a never ending black and the sky red. And he was to remain unseen, invisible to the world, to move as a shadow in the darkest night.

The Chosen One was salvation and retribution mutual: An ironic twist, when seen in the most fundamental view, that from the darkness itself would arise a purveyor of justice.

He was The Great Equalizer; The Undertaker presumed by mortals to be from Hell itself.

Sinister yet beautiful and enchanting; like the sound of a Gregorian choir tied with the haunting majesty of an organ. As chilling as a belfry, as the ministry tolls "Funeral March" for a dead man walking.

This was what his lover was reeling back from, ever apprehensive of taking his place as The God of Death; just as SHE had been when she came to realize who she truly was. Anxious to perch himself upon the walls of the worlds, to be ever watchful with an unwavering gaze, and to be The Most High Judge he was destined to become.

The Creeper, the hole-and-corner, the sub-rosa, the one who is incognito, the one whom creationists referred to as "The Cosmic Cheshire Cat"…

_"The order of the world is always right - such is the judgment of God. For God has departed, but he has left his judgment behind, the way the Cheshire Cat left his grin." was the famous statement of Jean Baudrillard._

The Devil was characterized as The Jabberwocky; AKA The Boogieman: Who, by day, was a charismatic gentleman. Who, by night, is often depicted to be a ghastly, morbid, bloodcurdling psycho "clown"; the media traditionally degraded full on scary monsters by making them appear absurd.

God seemed to possess a personality of a cat, the mighty lion in rule, with the nature of a phoenix; burning away into oblivion, only to arise from the ashes once again.

Hilariously, The Devil was often symbolized by The Phoenix as well, and was either a dragon or seen as a ferocious lion.

Funny, God did the same exact thing, too.

People feared death, just as they were terrified of God. In truth, God was as much as a murderer, a complete monster, as He was the paramount of unconditional love.

Death was neither good or evil.

Life is death and death is life; a never ending cycle.

It was the snake that symbolized these cycles of life, love, sex, venom, and death. The Serpent was seen as a traitor of man, but it was the serpent who began life as we know it.

Death and The Devil were one in the same, as Creator and life were; they were two sides of the same coin.

God was a Phoenix, a Seraphim. God was also a feline, The Beast. God was also depicted as a lamb, which was also a ram; though originally it was a stag, the symbol of nature! God was a magician, an alchemist, and a witch; power rages through His fingertips. And God was of The Order of The Dragon, the side of which He was loyally on!

The Devil was a Seraphim, an angel with twelve wings; just as God was! The Devil was depicted as a man with the head of a ram; which symbolized the animalistic nature of all who exist. And magic, alchemy, and witchcraft were His tools.

Sammael meant "God's venom" or "The Venom of God".

And He was the Ruler of The Stars.

And it was The Stars that made everything possible.

God and The Devil were one and the same, not separate beings.

And this being was originally neither male or female, and yet, was either one or both by choice. Gender roles meant nothing, they were merely labels.

And most of all, which is the most significant, is that this being is never to be seen...

Only to be heard of and spoken of, but never before the eyes of man should this being give himself or herself away...

Because if man knew that this being was alive, they would surely try at nothing to kill him.

[_Deep down in the recess of all hearts, man wanted to destroy God, just as they wanted The Devil to rue the day he was ever created. But no one created The Devil, nor had anyone created God... And They are the same person... The same went for The Anti-Savior and The Savior._]

Needless to say, people of this world are ridiculously ignorant, ruled by fear and misunderstanding…

Unfortunately, his lover had grown in this world. His mind had been brainwashed by the fiends in it, and for years they had fed him their rubbish.

Furthermore…

The light of his life was going to have to come to an eventual terms with a sensational need for blood…

Something that would indeed cause his mouth to water, driving him to sink his teeth into the hearts of many. He will not be able to contain the hunger within himself; if not controlled, he will be engulfed by sheer lunacy. And it was only in a matter of time, for the beast within will at last be unchained.

He was "damned" to be a beast on the hunt, because that is the method in which he will acquire to feed.

Therefore, he must hide from the day, so that no one can see him.

But in time, his lover would have to learn.

Kazuma had to, in order to fight and take back that which Reikai had taken from him.

This was a war, not "happy fun time". And Kazuma is to be one of the head leaders in this hard game of life; like a General of the Army, a "GA" role or "five star rank" in military operations.

[_At present, Kazuma was more like a Major working his way up to becoming Colonel; a commissioned officer rather than a Flag Rank Officer. Reficul was The GA, as he had always been._]

He'll have to accept it, even if it meant the dark god had to enforce this upon him; he was not the lenient type, almost as much as he was a possessive and jealous person by nature. He'll hurt him for his own good, if he had to…

IF, provided, there was no other alternative.

He'll grab the man roughly by the shoulders, turn him around, and force him face his own reflection... So that he may at last see who he really is.

As of right now, Kazuma was his own worst enemy. And winning his complete trust, his faith, and his heart seemed to be the hardest challenge of all; he was half way there, but that was not enough for the dark deity, for he was still unsatisfied.

And needless to say, Reficul was not pleased in the slightest; like a mad black dog, the Hellhound Cerberus.

He wanted to hold him to the sun, wanted to be his faithful one, and show the beauty that his heart's desire doesn't know he even holds.

Truth be told, he was already beginning to lose his patience.

But would he give up? HELL. NO.

He'll play this game, until the very end of time if he must. His mate best buckle up real tight, for he was in for a ride of his life.

There was no place to run and no place to hide.

He will get the message across, one way or another.

[_He will fight his lover's demons and his bloody wars. He'd give up everything for him... He'd give up his entire wealth and his kingdom to buy the man's soul, a soul that which he had never sold. He'd literally die for the man._]

After all, the foulest stench in all of the worlds...is "love".

If there was ever evil in the world, it went by this word.

Nothing else could be so perfect and so beautiful, yet so corrupt and painful.

...He looked forward to it.

**oOo**

_"...Sing a song, a song of life _  
_Made without regret _  
_Tell the ones, the ones I loved _  
_I never will forget _  
_Never will forget."_

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

I am thinking of making another part to this chapter. I am not sure. Perhaps not.

I'm sure you can pretty much piece what's in this chapter together.

Thanks goes out to KM17, for both reading and reviewing. Thank you! *hugs* And you are right, btw. Kazuma does have prophetic dreams.

Thank you for reading.

Please review! **  
**


	37. Ch 3

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**DECODE**

"A sinister wind blows this way." Sun Wukong muttered, narrowing his eyes as he observed the awkward movements foliage, the mighty swaying of the trees in the distance. "Something wicked is drawing near."

He stood outside, staring off into the west, feeling the chilling breeze as it caressed, tickling his golden fur and skin. It was a different kind of wind, possessing a different kind of feeling, smell, and taste altogether. Damp and numbing, carrying a darkness that was unseen by the naked eye.

Botan, who was standing near him from behind, overheard. "Evil? Master Wukong, whatever do you mean by that?"

The Martial Arts Master shifted his eyes towards her direction. "It is an evil that comes in the form of death. Wraiths, foul creatures which suck the very essence out of their prey."

"Wraiths? Don't they appear as those they warn, as a sign that death is near?" The fairy inquired, befuddled as to why they would be around this area. "And aren't they creatures of the western worlds?"

"Ah ya! No. They are everywhere, not just one specific region." He answered her sternly, raising a brow at her own ignorance. "The better, more suitable term to be used is 'GRIM', hence the origin of the word 'Grim Reaper'; or in common tongue 'Death Eaters'. They are the lost children, the ever wandering souls of deceased vampires."

"Vampires?" She repeated with incredulity, fear now trickling down her neck and causing her goosebumps.

"It is what is left, the product of despair and resentment. Misery and death is what made them, and misery and death they bring." Sun Wukong explained. "They feed on happy thoughts, leaving only dismay and fear. Positive memories they take, leaving a pour soul with those of negativity."

"But don't they only attack those who are wicked?" She inquired, now twiddling her index fingers against one another nervously.

"No." He was his immediate response. "They target their prey, for whatever reason… But usually, they attack those who are haunted by traumatic pasts, those who bare too much pain. They suck the life out of their prey, until there is none left in him to give. They only bring death when they appear as the one who is to die. But creatures are creatures, it is all the same." He then turned to her, held out his staff and accused; "You are from Reikai, you should know all this already."

Botan pouted, feeling ashamed yet also falsely criticized. "I'm afraid I do not. There is so much that Reikai has yet to teach me, and I've been of service for over two-hundred years."

"Pity." Sun coyly remarked, a thin smile forming between his lips. He then turned again, heading back towards the place of his dwelling. "Good thing I set the perimeter with wards, but I fear that this impending darkness will try to break past the barrier."

Botan turned and followed him; having noticed that, for a monkey, his posture and walk seemed much more human-like. His movements were nonchalant, his pace leisured, as though he had not a single care in the world; as though this was a bright sunny day, when obviously it was nighttime.

"First ghouls, then vampires… Now death eaters? What's next?" She complained miserably, all the while brushing back her blue hair that kept waving in the invasive wind; which she found all to be rather annoying.

"Many a terrible things, for there are many creatures who hide in the elements; like banshees, the feminine term of those who are the ghosts of female vampires." The sensei replied. "The females terrorize and bring about pain and suffering, while the males are that of warriors; a fighting breed they are. That is, if you ever manage to provoke one. Though, a better preferred term in use, then would be that of Succubae and Incubi; which is what they become. As much, you must learn that vampires come in many forms. The child, Irei, is a demon but is also a vampire. Take care, miss, for there are many things in this world that are not for the faint of heart."

The reaper made a face upon hearing those words, feeling quite uneasy as to having been placed in the middle of this investigation. Truth be told, she did not wish to be involved in the least.

All she knew was that The Devils were the ultimate evil, as told by Koenma's, they wish to destroy us all. Of course, Koenma was absolutely paranoid of the bastards… But so was the rest of Reikai, and even those of Makai.

She sure wished Yusuke was here, he could handle this… And without resorting to the use of magic and alchemy; tools in which only the wicked would use. Perhaps he could also steer Kuwabara straight, before it is too late.

The use of Alchemy or magic is blasphemous, they are used by those who wish to play god.

And then maybe get Kuwabara away from Narakumaru. If Koenma believed him to be as rotten as a barrel of years old apples, then surely he must be. And quite honestly, Hiei wasn't helping; not that the fire demon ever truly cared about the psychic anyway to begin with, because he didn't.

Where was Hiei, anyway? He didn't leave with Kurama and Yukina.

But then another question came into mind…

"Does Kuwabara really know Kung fu?" She asked hesitantly, still tagging along with the ancient deity; she didn't want to seem as pest. "I mean, is he even capable of learning that? And can he even fight those monsters?"

She could see Yusuke harnessing such skill and expertise, but as for Kuwabara… That was a whole other story.

But then again, she would be as guilty as the others for underestimating him like that; they had made such a sick hobby of cutting him down. Their main objective of keeping him around was so they could hate his guts, leading him on so as to have something to take out their frustrations upon.

Yusuke and Kuwabara had once possessed a beautiful relationship, so full of brotherly love that it seemed it would last beyond a lifetime. They used to know each other so well.

But everything suddenly had taken a turn for the worst, somehow the relationship went to pot. Not surprisingly, this occurred right after Yusuke's demon blood had awakened.

It had been so eternally beautiful, that it was destined to be damned from the start. Doomed to fail. And it was Kuwabara who carried the burden, cursed to never forget the past.

She figured that it plagued his mind, along with the death of his gang, and among other things. She could understand why he was so bitter. Kazuma had pride and he was not about to allow anyone to take it away.

Yusuke was quite the contrary, for he had finally moved on. Leaving all that was behind, like dust in the wind. He wasn't a bad man, but he handled matters far differently than the psychic. The boy had grown up into the man he was supposed to be.

Nevertheless, it was truly sad.

She supposed that they had grown sick of one another. Time, after all, changes people.

And Kuwabara was still changing, as all humans do.

"But of course!" The deity said, his words holding much pride. "He has Chinese blood running through his veins!"

Botan was taken aback. "What?"

He ceased in his tracks, then turned his head, looking over his shoulder back towards her. "You know of the province Kuwabara, yes?"

He couldn't contain himself, happily donning the widest grin that she, or anyone, has ever had the privilege to see him wear. His countenance seemed to shine, almost radiantly.

The fairy gave a meek nod, unsure of what she had provoked of him.

"Before that time, before that soil had received its name…" He began to enlighten, his tone riddled with much delight; serving as a better indicator of how this being enjoyed telling stories.

"The Kuwabara Clan had subsisted there, way before the time that the aristocrat Sugawara Michizane had called it his home, and before it had given birth to legend… The clan consisted of Ancients, people who not only possessed great power, but also were exceptionally skilled in the arts of Kung Fu. And being also merchants, not merely just protectors, they were a traveling folk as well. But they were not aborigines of Japan. No, their origin began in China. They were descendants from The Wudan Clan, better known today as The Wu Tang Clan, the founding fathers of The Kuwabara Clan in Japan."

"The…Wu Tang Clan?" Botan said with uncertainty, blinking at him in befuddlement. Mind you, she had never heard this before. In fact, she had not once laid eyes upon Kuwabara's life records, including that of his ancestry.

"Yes." Sun Wukong affirmed with a chaste nod. "As for the legend of the mulberry trees, they had brought that with them from China, and in a later era had exchanged their family name so as to seem inconspicuous. They believed that the great mulberry tree possessed a profound sacred power, especially when deflecting lightning and bad luck. As today, as it was then, the very name is a spell."

Botan stared at him, astounded.

Seeing this, the deity couldn't help but laugh.

"What? Did you think the name Kuwabara originated in Japan? Ah ya! Kuwabara originates from The Land of The Great Dragon, not The Land of The Rising Sun." He told. "Just the same, Kaguya-Hime was from that precise clan, but no one remembers. And everyone believes her to be Japanese, but I will have you know that she was NOT. And before that, she was another."

He then pulled out his self-made flask, unfastened the top, and guzzled half of the rice wine in just a few large gulps. He plugged the gourd right back, right after he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His cheeks were now rosy, flushed, now grinning goofily for the alcohol had rushed straight to his head.

Botan immediately stepped back from him, his sudden drunkenness giving her the willies.

"His family are the ones who harbor China's spirit within," He continued, though his words slurred almost together now, now that he was in stupor. "And to keep this spirit pure, they prefer to marry within their own circle. It is tradition that they marry with other kindred spirits… Meaning, other folk who are from other clans similar to their own. Hence, the Kuwabara Clan are of a sacred blood line. WEEEEEEE!"

The reaper watched as he began to twirl around in place, now balancing himself on top of his staff; making a utter monkey out of himself.

_"Well, this all…makes sense…"_ Botan thought, thinking back to the times when she had met her friend's family.

Sada eyes were rather small and slanted, always appearing as though she was squinting; unlike most other females from this region, who possessed large baby-like eyes. Kuwabara's eyes also had this characteristic, but ever so slightly, not enough to seem highly noticeable. And like Kuwabara, Sada had high cheekbones and a strong chin; rather than the average oval or round shaped face and a weak chin.

She should have seen this before, because she had dealt with the family in the past. In fact, Sada had a sister, who had assisted Spirit World. Her name was Okimi, and she was once a good friend of Kuroko Satou; the very first Spirit Detective.

And Okimi was a skilled archer, let alone a renowned priestess.

The reaper thought she knew the Kuwabara family well, but obviously not well enough.

As for her first husband, Kuwabara didn't look one bit like him. And the very same could be said for her second hubby; who was Shizuru's biological father. Neither of these men appeared to be Chinese, so there must have been a fluke in design or an exception had been made. These men were definitely Japanese.

"…Wait. Kuwabara is Chinese?" The blue haired fairy exclaimed. "And not Japanese?" She reacted as though it had finally donned on her.

The Martial Arts Master appeared beside her, literally scaring the daylights out of her.

"Many had came and sought after my teachings, but none possessed what he has." Sun confessed in a half whisper, attempting to be secretive.

Upon smelling his booze ridden breath, tears swelled in her eyes as she choked. She tried to hold her breath, all the while fighting desperate to fan the stench away from her face, almost gagging in the process.

"His blood is not merely of this land." He continued. "Nevertheless, Kung Fu runs through his veins. And he had answered the sacred call. Though he is part Caucasian, his ancestors were Chinese. Furthermore, he is The Dragon Warrior!" He yelled the latter in her ear.

She immediately winced and coiled back away from him.

The deity was much wiser, smarter than he appeared, even in his drunken state. However, he did not have to be a genius to figure out one's genetics. His pupil's looks, his features, spoke for itself.

Also, drunken people very seldom lie; the alcohol itself serves as a truth serum.

But damn, it was so ghastly. His breath was absolutely putrid! It smelt as though his innards literally soak in the stuff; like meat in marinade.

"That would explain his hair!" Botan declared a moment later. "I mean, it's as red as a carrot! And his skin, it's so pale compared to everyone else's! …Wait, shouldn't his hair be dark at least? After all, dominate traits and all...and his skin shouldn't be so fair...if he's part white..." A few moments passed as she calculated, pensive and determined to solve this. However, she ended up pulling at her hair in a matter of frustration. "I'm SO confused! I don't understand any of this AT ALL! Is this another fluke or something? I thought he was part demon! SOMEBODY PLEASE TELL ME!"

"Oh, by the way… It would be wise of you to show Narakumaru respect." Sun Wukong advised, becoming dead serious all of sudden.

Botan immediately ceased in prancing about frantically, amazed to see that he was already sober.

Seriously, that was rather quick; like two shakes of a lamb's tail of time. It was enough to seem practically impossible.

"I may be a god," He continued, his tone serving as an omen for any to hear. "But I am nothing more than an insect in his eyes. And you, my dear girl, are nothing more than a speck of dust under his fingernails. Do not insult powers beyond your comprehension. He holds more power in his pinky than most do in their entire bodies."

The reaper had stopped breathing and gulped in response, her cheeks now an indigo blue.

He turned back around, and to her amazement, summoned his staff back into his hand. It literally flew to him!

He was such a strange, strange individual. Eccentric, if not a marvel all on his own.

"Heed my warning:" He told, instructing her for her own good. "You should not plan against the true ruler of The Underworld… He might have fallen, but I assure you that he had been deceived to live in misery and doom, namely when his lover had been stolen from him… But He is still the one called Hades, nonetheless. And you cannot hide from Hades; The One who is The Living and Eternal Hell."

She stood there for a moment as she watched him continue on his way, pale and stiff as though she were dead.

Her eardrums stung with news, that Narakumaru was not only the god of demons, but THE God of The Underworld. She merely thought he was considered as such, as most titles are to be held.

She heard, though she believed it to be merely legend, that Yakumo was once His left hand man; though he was a god, he was but a servant to the darkest Lord of all existence.

Narakumaru was the legendary beast from HELL itself, Hell personified. The Monster of legend in which the gods, King Yama included, had tried to control. The son of Death herself, and the Son of one of The Fallen Stars who became both the creator and master of demons…

His father was once The Creator's left hand man, that is until he had stolen His mate; Izanami, the goddess of both creation and death, His right hand.

For committing treachery, his father had been banished into the darkness, his title lowered as punishment; as to further insult him and his honor. His father, by far, was once the most evil of being that had ever existed. The most heinous of The Stars.

Thus began the taint of the golden era. Nothing since then had ever been the same… For it was not long, when He began deceiving the humans through His son.

But deep down, all Stars are wicked, as provided by their dual nature… They all possessed a darkness.

No other person was so cruel, so full of malice, as he was… Except his son, who had exceeded him in the end.

Demons tremble by the mention of his name. And for good reasons, for He possessed power over them, to do with them whichever he pleased.

And as for The Head God of The Stars Himself, The Creator of all…

From his own flesh, he had created unspeakable horrors, monsters in which He called His children… Unleashed from his mind, entitled as "sins", to plague the worlds for their betrayal. They were of Himself, created, all but only one. And that one was His true offspring.

He had taken another bride to himself, The Goddess of Reproduction (love) and Harvest who was commonly referred to as Mother Nature; The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone. It was She, who had bore him a daughter.

He was once Amenominakanushi, after all, being that Izanagi was simply a minor piece of him, just as Bishamon was. The man could be seen in various places all at once. And it was He who had fiendishly devoured The Gods of Time and Space, His own "fathers", thus taking His place.

When the original Amenominakanushi had divided into three, it was He who had overcame the other two, engulfing them in the form of an enormous serpent; The Cosmic Serpent.

Today, He is known as The Amatsu Mikaboshi. He is The Chief Kami of The Seven Major Stars…

Naraku, The Goddess of Death and Creation, and Mother Nature were among these stars; the ones with the most power, after Him.

Narakumaru was known as "The Darkest Star", and his most heinous form was that of a Dragon; which he was better known for, since he was the one who had created them. He, too, had overcame his father, and in the end had devoured him. He was the only other Star that had done something so terrible. To matters worse, he had slaughtered countless of demons in his time.

Now, this much she knew.

And she knew this well, due to having overheard one of King Yama's conferences that he held with the other gods, standing at The Great Hall doors listening in; which she should not have, for the penalty of eaves dropping was severe… By snooping around, she had discovered that Angels were more than what they seemed, that they weren't merely guardians in the sky…

[_In truth, this knowledge she wanted to suppress... For the life of her._

_And one would assume that they would have guards, keeping watch so that no one would pass or hear what was going on... But perhaps, they wanted to not seem suspicious, for what they were conspiring._]

But not once had she ever heard his name, not once had anyone spoken of him, until now… Thanks to Sun Wukong, who had let that important piece of information slip.

Needless to say, she had to put the pieces together.

But King Yama was also a demon, not just a god, which further foretold the possible dangers ahead of him if he continued on this path. He was nothing in comparison with The Stars; The Devils. Demons were, unmistakably, lesser folk, god or not. And it was these lesser folk who were planning against The Devils; an act of sheer madness on their behalf.

From this, questions arose…

How much were the gods keeping from them?

What did this mean for Koenma?

And most importantly, did he know?

She was so lost as to what to believe in anymore, what to think, and what to say.

Cat having got her tongue, she was speechless...

"That man is a monster." She uttered, her bottom lip quivering, for fear had gotten the best of her.

Well, almost.

Though she had laid such an accusation, she soon regretted it...

They, the gods, had taken away his love. And she could only assume as to how awful it must of been.

A love and an affair, a matter in which outsiders should not meddled with.

_"What could be possibly want with Kuwabara, though? And who are we really after? Oh, Yusuke, where are you?"_

Though the demon had dealt her a blowing pain, she wished that he was here. _  
_

**oOoOo**

Kazuma had decided to take long, hot soak; to settle his nerves before carrying out the rest of the night.

There was no indoor pluming, being that this temple was an old, traditional styled foundation. So naturally, he had gathered the water from the well outside, which pumped pristine water from beneath the lake. The water had to be heated by fire. Thanks to Botan, hot water had been prepared for whatever need.

She already figured that he could be so anal at times, nitpicky if not a prude. Proper hygiene matters to him, just as one's attire. The girl was a lot more perceptive than she may seem.

Nowadays, he preferred his baths to be scalding hot. In fact, he struggled to have a decent hot bath, though he really could not tell the difference between hot and cold. He wondered if his skin was losing its sensitivity to heat, his body feeling as though it had dropped a degree or two in temperature. He made sure that the water temperature was just under the boiling point, so as not to damage his body.

Much to the reaper's dismay, she believed he was likely to hurt himself for bathing in waters at such a high temperature. Naturally, she fretted over his safety, but he reassured her that he would be fine.

His body in a loose posture, tilting slightly to his right side, with his cheek resting against the porcelain rim of the tub. His soaking we hair clung to his face, his eyes concealed behind his wayward bangs. Complacent with the silence, dwelling on matters that surfaced from the back of his mind. All the while subconsciously tracing his fingers upon the birthmark upon his right lower hip, located between his most private parts; which was such an intimate part of the body…

A peculiar shape of a crescent, with the sun behind it, a staff with wings slicing through the middle with a two headed dragon coiled around its vertical shaft, and five specks that were shaped like stars; it appeared more like a tattoo that he had been branded with.

He often wondered what it meant, what it stood for, IF it stood for anything at all.

[_But one thing is for sure, that whenever he thought of Ref, it lightly tingled. And as a reaction, a bizarre effect, his heart would swell with a comforting warmth… As though all troubles seemed to be far away._

_He could not explain this, however. Only that perhaps something lurked beneath the surface, dwelling somewhere deep within his subconscious._]

He was from an estrange, dysfunctional family. Life had proven to be a definite struggle, but now everything was so difficult and hard to bare.

By this time in his life, he had came to realize that he lived in a rotten world that was riddled with strife. Living in that filth ridden city had shown him the light, the ultimate truth, the error that lies in human nature. It had been no different than what he had seen on that wretched video tape, Chapter Black.

There was barely any good left in this world.

They were all children, selfish little kids who were as ignorant as they were tyrants… Hurting one another without any regret in their hearts. They were all misguidedly happy to life like this, to life lives of debauchery and self-ruin.

This was relevance.

As many demons had said before, humans are miserable and foolish creatures. They were weak… So afraid of the dark, they won't confront it, instead of trying to forget about it, and run away temporarily.

He had been too narrow minded to see it before.

[_And yet, he still very much loved them. Perhaps the reason why was because he, too, was human._

_He admired the way humankind engineered, reaching new heights in technology and knowledge, and in sense…became their own gods. Humans were innovators and pioneers._

_A whole lot of them may be selfish cowards, but the things they could do… They were a marvel of creation, both beautiful and captivating. They merely needed guidance, so as to harness that which is perceived to be impossible. They can do anything, so as long as they put their minds to it._

_They can change, they could become stronger… If they wished to._

_Fear was a root leading to many evils._]

Everybody was the same.

He was well acquainted with the stench of gunpowder, the smell of blood and decay. Already he had seen death, having looked it straight in the eyes…countless times.

How can anyone be okay with living in such a society?

There was no way to win, less someone took the initiative to govern these people's lives.

...Such thinking often gave him a slight headache...

Though just as much as everything else did in his miserable, sad excuse for a life...

For far too long he had played that part of being lost within a swarming crowd, the minor character who is seen as nothing more than a joke…

A clown.

For far too long he had been trodden down, lying under the feet of those who claim to be far superior…

The skinned rug, the trophy of ultimate humiliation.

He was a laughingstock. There was no honor in this world. Chivalry was dead.

Serious people that are crowned with justice always lose in the end.

Well, not anymore.

Deep down, he didn't want to be the loser… He wanted to be the victor.

He was sick. Sick of the jokes. Sick of the betrayal. Sick of the backstabbing. Sick of the hurt. Sick of THEM.

And he was tired from bleeding.

Now here he was, on a mission to find a monster. A monster that had the power to take away his own life, and yet, had the power to take it back. A monster with a given right to heedlessly take away that which was given.

If he had the power, he would change this world… For the better. He would right the wrongs, to make ends meet, and shed the light so that everyone could at last see. He wanted was a perfect and peaceful world… Where there was no more criminals, no more war…

That was his fantasy, a naive dream. He had joined The Force to fulfill that purpose, to unleash hope into this forsaken world. And as depraved or illogical as it may seem, he would do anything to achieve something so impossible.

Though he had finally had a true taste of reality, he was fundamentally a dreamer in the eyes of the pragmatists. He fancied himself in dreams, for dreams kept him moving. And being a warrior, he'd fight tooth and nail to win at any costs.

But what could a single human do?

{**_"What are you getting so desperate about? Pangs of conscience? Worthless sentiment? Look at you, you can no longer bare to even look at your own face..._**

**_It is as Plato had understood…_**

**_'And you admit that every thing has a good and also an evil; as ophthalmia is the evil of the eyes and disease of the whole body; as mildew is of corn, and rot of timber, or rust of copper and iron: in everything, or in almost everything, there is an inherent evil and disease. And anything which is infected by any of these evils is made evil, and at last wholly dissolves and dies. The vice and evil which is inherent in each is the destruction of each; and if this does not destroy them there is nothing else that will; for good certainly will not destroy them, nor again, that which is neither good nor evil.'…_**

**_But man still believes otherwise, for their system of justice is corrupt. They can no longer differentiate between right and wrong. They have forgotten what evil is; unrighteousness, intemperance, cowardice, and ignorance…_**

**_They'll destroy themselves, if nothing else comes along to do the job for them…_**

**_In fact, many humans relish in the pain of others, grateful for having been spared of such sorrows themselves. It is there, lurking in some part of an individual, whether he or she would admit to it or not. All humans are tainted with cruelty, with evils, unsatisfied, and with nothing to fill the gaping hole in their hearts…_**

**_Why feel sorrow for them, but not bare the very same sentiments for demons? You've murdered demons. How is it any different? One has power, while the other is weak…_**

**_Look inside of yourself…_**

**_There will be a time when you must pick a side. Then can you tell me for certain when you defeat an enemy, that there isn't a slightest moment where you feel no remorse? That sense of unwavering victory, knowing that you have won? Take pride in your own skills and possess an immense sense of accomplishment? A battlefield, after all, is where you kill the enemy. Don't advert your eyes from death. Look forward. Look directly at the people who you are killing. And don't forget them. The enemy isn't going to forget you either…_**

**_And remember, remember clearly by holding this close to your heart...  
_**

**_Whatever you think now, Kazuma, no one is going to accept you. Not now. Not ever."_**}

She was right, though it had been painful for him to admit… Her wisdom was unconquerable…

But he didn't want to look there. No. He was still very much afraid to. As amazing as it may sound, he feared not this world or any other. He feared nothing, no animal or beast, no human or demon… No, nothing but himself. Pitiful, yes? How or when this fear came about, he could not remember.

And, alas, the power of one human doesn't amount to much. Sad, but true. Only a dreamer could ever believe in such an irrational thing…

…And he had been quite irrational, especially in his younger years…

As much, he will do all that he can, however little that may be, to protect those who are dear to him. He'll search for that Alkahestic remedy; the universal solvent that will erase the filth from this world…

He'll find those responsible for the death of his comrades.

Using his magic, he waved his left hand in the hazy air, gathering and removing the steam, by collecting all the moisture within the palm of his hand.

[_Note: With the use of his right, he was sometimes backhanded. A pair of scissors was, by far, the most difficult tool to utilize at need._

_From what he could recall, he had originally been a left-handed individual. However, his teachers were determined to get him to use his right, which had ultimately set him back in his education during his earlier years. And because of that, he had been considered to be a "retard" with a mental handicap._

_Being a lefty meant that he was not as smart as the other kids. Moreover, he couldn't speak Japanese very well, nor did he understood the language. The other students would tease him without end for that._

_On a more positive end, he could now yield a sword in both hands. Using dual katanas was fairly easy._

_Speaking of which, he had wondered why he could form two swords if his blade was originally a scythe. Perhaps, unless that scythe had two blades instead of one._]

If only solving the world's problems were this easy, by a simple flick of a wrist. But bending the elements was certainly not going to bring about change. But perhaps The "Gnostic Circle", which is the key and contains the highest wisdom of our age, could…

As noted by Patrizia Norelli-Bachelet, the author of such a profound tool: _"The Gnostic Circle is merely the combination of the zodiac - the occult circle which contains the knowledge of the evolution - and the structural pattern of the solar system. The Circle of 12 is the zodiac, and the Circle of 9 is our actual solar system, each orbit representing one year of Earth life. The joint harmony of these two, superimposed or synthesized in one circle, is what constitutes our key to the evolution and flowering of the seed of the Spirit. In fact we can say that the Gnostic Circle is mainly for this purpose: it shows mankind the ultimate and ideal perfection that can be attained during this particular phase of the evolution, during this great transition point from animal-mental to the more divine mankind."_

Explanation: With the "Gnostic Circle", one is able to determine exactly where he or she is within the developmental spectrum and with the benefit of that knowledge is able to cooperate more fully with his or her own evolution. It offers an integral vision of wholeness and reveals the organic process by which the soul or seed of the divine in each individual is made to flower. Meaning, with that sort of knowledge, a person could find the meaning of life and the meaning behind all existence. A person could carry him or herself to higher places.

There was a shaking in his soul. Could man really become divine? Or was this achievement limited, that only those of higher power could obtain?

But there was also The Alchemical Symbol of Physical and Spiritual Transformation; which is a circle within a triangle, and that said triangle within a circle, and within was a line drawn straight through the center. With this symbol, a mortal could find the answers as to how he or she could cheat death…

But this came with a hefty price, as a requirement of equivalent exchange.

Kazuma sighed softly to himself.

He had watched the sun set from his window. Its warm, radiant hues fading into the cold and unfeeling darkness. For a moment, the sky bleed red before its passing; like a gunshot wound, deluding into pinks, blues, and purples. As the moments passed, an epiphany had occurred to him…

It represented his life, and it was drawing to an end.

Using a play as a metaphor, the curtains were about to be pulled close, but there was no audience... There never had been. No tickets had been sold. His life had been an opera, but very few listen to such masterpieces anymore.

Being an alchemist, he was a creature who sought after truth… Once an alchemist ceases in thinking, he dies.

He knew he was going to die before all of this was over.

He expected it.

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

So, now Botan knows… Well, half of it, she does. And yet, Kuwabara is still in the dark.

But hey, cheers to those who saw this coming! I know Saya did. She already foresaw who or what Narakumaru is.

This fiction is a mix of faiths, as you can tell. And if anyone out there knows, religions have much in common with one another, they bare much similarity.

And don't fret, people… Action is coming soon!

SAYA: I am glad that you are glad. But alas, I cannot reveal that. You'll just have to wait.

KM17: Thank you, once again! I am glad you enjoyed the previous chapter.

Thank you all for reading. Please review or place a comment. Thank you!


	38. Ch 4 p1

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**[The High Wire Escape Artist]**

_Quit comparing me with that chump! Him and I have NOTHING in common. NOTHING._

_That man has more than a million cracks at life for him to take a stab at. Everything was set at his feet. Everything that he has now has been given to him freely._

_Me, I just have one shot, one opportunity to seize all that I ever wanted. That's it. Success is my only option, failure is not. I've tried so hard, all my life… Been chewed up and spitted out. I can't afford to fuck up._

_I live in reality! He doesn't!_

_Life has been kind to him, while life for me has been stagnant, …ever living in this eternal hell…_

_You don't know how it feels… To hear the crowd boo so loud. Jeering at you, no one else._

_I've had my heart almost ripped from out of my chest, for a man who threw it all away for fame in the end.  
_

_(He threw it away, all away... A sign that served him well... I was not alive inside, but I surely did faked it...)_

_It's a crime, not that it haunts his conscience any... Because it doesn't. _

_While he's living in a castle, all prim and pretty…_

_I've been living in a broken down apartment, a filthy, rat and roach infested hole in the wall. _

_(Being a police officer, I'm paid minimum wage. Overworked, not paid by the hour, but by salary. And my schooling is being paid by loan. Always on the brink of post mortem here.)  
_

_Everyone always assumes that I came from a well off family. Well, I don't! I come from a broken home, filled with broken dreams and nightmares for memories, and a dysfunctional family that made it all possible!_

_However...  
_

_If it wasn't for my sister back then, I wouldn't even have clothes that I had on my own back. She made the money, and only bits and pieces that money did she give me when I fulfilled the chores around the apartment!_

_AND she was the one who raised me, took care of me as a surrogate mother, which ultimately lead her to can her dreams...  
_

_If you've ever wondered why she can be so damn cold and callous, despite her cool as a cucumber attitude for life... Well, there you go._

_And all of this was going on… While my mother put up with an abusive son-ova-bitch for a husband, who did nothing but mope around once he walked in through that goddamn door, drunker than ten Indians and madder than a hatter, blaming me for everything!_

_She didn't even want to walk into the light of day, afraid that someone might question her for the bruises._

_I, on the other hand, had gotten used to it… Sucked it up, grinned and bared it. …Which is why I took most of the lashes and flogging for her, until she finally summoned up the courage to finalize their relationship by getting a divorce…_

_It couldn't come soon enough, in my books. It had taken far too long._

_There was no point in me fighting back, however. That madman would have gotten a gun and shot us all. I couldn't have that. I had to take it for everyone. I had to take the threats and the beatings._

_My mother was a good woman, though not a good mother; she lacked such parental skills. She wasn't like Atsuko. She didn't have anybody to run to, no one but Shizuru and me, which ultimately did her no good._

_Then that other man entered her life, all of a sudden reappearing from her distant past, with all the precise timing…_

_And he expects me to call him 'father'? Where was he when she needed him most? What gives him the right to tell me what to do or how to live my life? And I suppose he tried to make things up by helping that dickhead talk Yukina into living with us?_

_He says that I'm a good kid, but I say he's a suck up!_

_I'd like to smack those sunglasses off his face and step on them; literally crush them beneath my boot!_

_I don't care if he's my sis's biological pop… I could care less, because it doesn't change anything for me…_

_That old man is NOT my father._

_I can't pretend that everything is all just fine and dandy. Not anymore._

_As for Yusuke…_

_I once bowed to him, because he was stronger than me, and because it was the honorable thing to do._

_But by doing so, I handed over what was mine. I threw away so much, yet lost it all in the end._

_My friends… My true friends…_

_…My soul family…_

_They are all gone._

_They all died, buried, and taken away from me._

_My importance became minuscule, overcame by the reality that I was a popper, not the prince I hoped or longed to be._

_I knew every punk and homebody by name, while he held his head high and refused to recognize who was who… Because he was too good, too hot to trot. I've been nothing but a joke to him, a loser, which is why he left me to choke in the fire._

_Not that he knew, because that man never knew what the fuck he was doing. Never once considered anything before making a step, never looking before he leapt. He just barges in without a clue, without bearing in mind the consequences, all headstrong and impulsive. And yet he thinks he's the headcheese, the top dog of society._

_It was Yusuke. It was all about him. It's always been about him!_

_And what did he have? What was his excuse to live the life he once did?_

_A mother who chose to be drunk, who chose to live that sordid way of life, and a father whom he hated all because he didn't like getting spankings as a kid. _

_...That whiner_..._he's just a selfish, punk kid trapped inside the body of a man...correction, half-man..._

_(He's no different than the kids who take their parents for granted. A whole lot of them are from good families, too.)  
_

_And the reason why she divorced the man was because, like her selfish brat of a son, she didn't like being told how to live her life… Other than that, he was a decent, hard-working, good man… Too good for her, which was something that she couldn't take._

_How do I know this?_

_She confided in my sister, who then told me._

_…Confessing about how life had been so easy for her, letting it all slip through her inebriated lips, that all the money she could ever need was handed to her from pimps; people whom she regarded as her buddies._

_And she joked and laughed about it as though it were nothing!_

_NOTHING!_

_But unlike that shmoe, that poser, Yusuke…_

_I didn't get simple spankings or a paddle to the rear, I got the life beaten out of me! Blood, shit, piss, snot, and vomit spewing and oozing from whatever orifice in my body. With fists of fury and a leather belt that seared my back… Because I was WORTHLESS and didn't amount to anything._

_I was NOTHING but a bother._

_The old man didn't want me around and he made sure that I knew that on a daily basis._

_…Receiving blows from Yusuke played no affect upon me, as you can remember. Just a minor reflection of self-affliction, of the masochist that I had became._

_All my flaws were always in open season, anyway, for the whole world to pick at._

_I took to the streets, because they were the only place I knew… They were my home, with places I could run to… They were my familiarity, my world, my kingdom! I knew the ropes like the back of my hand. It had been since I was a child!_

_It was either that, or continue being locked up inside a room. And so, I chose the streets..._

_Living as an old saying goes: Out of their sight, out of their mind._

_But while I took to the streets, the rest of my family found other means to escape…_

_My sister took up smoking, been smoking since she was ten, to relieve herself from stress. And as for my mother… Her good friend "Heroin" was her crutch…_

_…She's tried to kick the habit, but so far there has not been any success. She's been sent to a rehab three times, and has even sought counseling for emotional trauma…_

_Then again, she probably has... I haven't checked, nor had Shizuru told me anything concerning her well-being, which leaves me to just assume that nothing has changed.  
_

_And the very first home I lived in was a dump. I was raised in the mother fucking projects, in the fucking hood of all place. The home that you all saw was the place where we moved to after my mom had separated from that sadistic psychopath!_

_…But that was not my home, it had never been._

_And yet, I tried so hard, I tried to keep my cool and sustain my honor…_

_To be a good man and a justly person!_

_But when it comes right down to it, it all had been shit for me to digest. Not that they would ever permit me to protest against it, not even just a little bit… If I even so much as open my mouth to utter one syllable…_

_Well, it did me no good. I often found myself on the shit end of the stick, being dealt with blows to the noggin._

_I had no choice but to succumb to it all, all to which they threw at me._

_And now, it's all coming back…_

_…With my sister is hiding shit from me…_

_And I don't think I can do this anymore…_

_No, not without changing…_

_I don't think I can continue to run like hell like I've been._

_I feel it coming on, breathing down my neck. Something's got to give. Either my life or the way I've been living, my character and who I fought to be, who everyone said I should be._

_I don't think I can bow anymore._

_And I'm at the end of my rope._

_My strength is dwindling. I don't know if I can continue to hold on._

_…Sometimes I just feel…_

_…That I don't belong._

_I don't belong here. I don't belong anywhere._

_I feel a sudden shift in me, my balance, and I don't even know if I like it._

_Nevertheless, I feel trapped, like two dogs inside a cage. Left alone to let all my inner fears tear at me._

_I don't know how much more I can take..._

_...Before I begin slipping, doomed to fall and sink into oblivion._

_And everything that I once knew was pieces of a dream, a whisper of what life ought to be..._

_...All which are shattered memories that time will soon erase..._

_But there's nothing else for me to lose, except my mind and all the things I thought I wanted..._

_(It's nothing, really... Just something I need desperately to fade away.)_

_I'm losing sight,_ _metaphorically speaking._

_All I see is red.  
_

_I'm not even sure if I believe in anything sacred anymore, either._

_Is it any wonder why I'm FUBAR?_

_I'm ready to drop bombs, and tear this motherfuckin' roof off._

_(You best believe someone's gonna pay the pied piper.)_

_And...  
_

_It's times like this, that I wish I had died during the Dark Tournament…instead of lived._

**oOo**

_"These places all I ever think about is lost in time_  
_These faces haunting me_  
_I'm looking back and they are mine_

_I'm hiding from the things they say_  
_Doing time and lead astray_  
_Thinking back to times of yesterday_  
_I could fly_

_I'm trying to find a better way _  
_ But I'm trapped _  
_ Can't get away _  
_ All I think is about yesterday _  
_ I could fly"_

-Korn; "I'm Hiding"

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

This really isn't a chapter. It's really Kazuma's thoughts. Or more like what he would write inside the pages of a diary, if he had one.

KLB: Thank you for your review! I am so glad you like the story so far! I will try to update as much as possible.

Saya: ...Actually, he's mostly Chinese, due to his ancestry. And yes, he's part white. I don't know if you overlooked that or not. What had been stated had been his mother's side of the family.

KM17: ...I wonder what confused you... Was it the use of Alchemy mentioned? Well, as anyone can tell (and if not, here we go), he's contemplating about his mortality.

Thank you all for reading! Please review or leave a comment! I appreciate it immensely!


	39. Ch 4 p2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**BOTAN'S PLIGHT**

**[The Ordeal of The Snow White Queen]**

_"If I scare you now,_  
_Don't run from me._  
_I've been hiding my pain, you see._  
_Said if I scare you now,_  
_Don't run from me._  
_I've been hiding my pain, you see."_

-Disturbed; "Decadence"

**#1#2#3**

After cleaning up the extravagant mess in his room, Kazuma stepped into the dining room, having been drawn to the busy commotion fluttering about from this precise location…

Instead of wearing his samurai uniform, he donned the proper attire for a trainee; a sleeveless top, with a high yet loose collar and edges embroidered with gold, black exercise pants, his black level belt tied around his waist, and black slippers…

[_Black and gold were the trademark colors pertaining to Master Sun Wukong's students; if you were taught by him, those were the colors you would wear. The Deity was all about gold, black, red, green, and neutral (brown) shades when it came to his color choices. And he argued that white, as pure as it may appear, manages to get dirty way too quickly._

_Not that the psychic would argue, for Yusuke usually donned white garb, particularly nowadays… And with sincere sincerity, the psychic did not wish to be seen as a identical or a copycat. That little snot-nosed bastard, he knew, would certainly call it._]

He had also bandaged up his hands, from his knuckles up to almost his elbows, with fresh clean ones. He had also tied up his waist, as he normally did, but that lied hidden underneath his clothes.

And finally, he had pulled back his long curly hair, now fashioning in a braid; a skilled that he had acquired from his older sister. Don't laugh. He had to keep his hair out of his face somehow, though had allowed his bangs to hang loose and free; though one could see why, the tip of his bangs barely met his chin.

Kazuma's eyes shifted about the room, then ducked suddenly with haste!

From out of nowhere, the Martial Arts Master had landed beside him, his foot slicing through the air as projectile as a bullet. He intended to kick his prized student in the neck, but wounded up attacking the air above the lad instead.

Without any so much as a delay, the psychic immediately kicked his Master in the leg, right in the ankle, all the while slamming him square in the gut with his palm. With the amount of energy released through his hand, the psychic sent the deity flying through the air and into the wall.

The sudden moments were so lightning fast, that anyone who had been watching could not keep up or register as to what had occurred. Sun Wukong had tried to pull a sneaky one, to test his student's awareness and readiness to handle any situation. But when he had failed, Kazuma had counterattacked the move back successfully.

But of course, there had been eyewitnesses…

Botan and Irei were in the immediate area; the fairy stood at the kitchen's entrance, while the littlest one stood by the dining table.

The blue haired reaper dropped the tray of food when having seen that…

But fortunately Kazuma caught the tray in midair, moving and balancing the tray well enough to catch everything, including all of the edibles. It all landed back into its proper place, as though undisturbed. However, it was not by his hand, that he did this… No, with the sole of his shoe, that is, he caught everything, balancing it all perfectly with one foot.

Then, in a flash, he spun himself around upon one foot, a feat achieved by shifting his weight. He caught the tray once again, but this time in hand, before handing it all back to her.

Botan blinked at him as she received the tray, with her jaw dropped in amazement.

"…How in the..?" She tried to muster the words of her inquiry, though her voice slightly above unheard.

Kazuma had caught hear of it, nonetheless.

"Practice." Was his answer, vague but served with modesty.

In tern, the answer caught her further off guard. It wasn't the words as much as it were the voice, his voice; that smooth yet raspy distinctive tone that manages to stir something in you. She had not really noticed it before, until now.

Why, it was utterly criminal; soothing as the intimidating smile of a madman.

How does a man go from annoyingly scratchy, like the sound of broken glass, as a teen… To a captivating, alluring voice, sounding significantly like an eighty's rock star, as a grown man? The answer is simple: Maturation and genes, otherwise known as genetics.

Or better yet, as Master Sun Wukong had once stated: The ugly duckling had grown up into a swan…

A gorgeous, magnificent swan, with all its grandeur and majesty for all to behold; no longer the clumsy, goofy, and shamefully awkward ugly duckling.

But it was those eyes that really got to her… Piercing through her and scorching her very soul, setting her aflame, and reading her like an open book… As though she were one who was truly wretched, undeserving to stand in his presence.

She noted this, all the while remembering how Yusuke's was a chocolate brown, filled with such a securing warmth. Kurama's gaze often shifted to cold, while Hiei's would turn to unfeeling.

But it was with his eyes, that she felt as though death was but a step away, right where he was standing… Can you imagine a reaper feeling this way? Can you comprehend such irrational irony?

A brief moment of silence passed between the two.

Instead of providing an obligatory "thank you" from her behalf, her face contorted from shock to a sulking expression similar to a puppy's. A sudden realization had dawned, bringing her back to reality…

Perplexed by this, he tilted his head and cocked a brow. "Is something the matter?"

With a sigh, she turned her head, not wanting to look him in the eyes as she confessed; "I have to pay up."

A frown formed upon his lips, which were now stretched broad and thin.

"I lost the bet." She told, finding the courage within herself to speak up.

The left side of his face twitched as he then narrowed his eyes squarely at her, granting her an uncomfortable silence as his response.

Botan tittered nervously. "To see if you really were skilled in Kung fu." She said with a shrug, all the while putting on a sweat and amiable air about herself, as to seem not so culpable but a victim caught with the losing hand of a game.

Kazuma rolled his eyes and withdrew from her, turning his back to her churlishly as a growl hummed in his throat.

Botan, with her mouth gaping, watched as he walked away from her in obvious irritation. She was appalled by his behavior, mainly because he had never treated her this way before.

He used to be such a gentleman, the absolute picture of courtesy, and very respectful when it came to handling women… But now his mannerisms changed often, unpredictably; like a woman during her menstrual cycle.

What happened?

"What? I was doubtful!" She exclaimed, grasping firmly onto the edges of the tray, trying to hold it sturdily as she began taking steps towards the dining table. "Mainly because of what had occurred that night when you faced those ghouls! I had every reason to question if it was true or not!"

Despite how her reasoning seemed sufficiently rational, it was not acceptable to him. In fact, it was nothing short of being bloody offensive.

"Why am I cursed to endure the unfortunate mishap of dealing with you people and your pomposity!" He shot back, fighting desperately hard to contain his ire. "I was ransacked. Bombarded!"

"Well, everyone knows that your luck doesn't improve much." She stated back huffily, after finally placing the tray with its goods down onto table. "…It's a well known fact."

Kazuma rolled his right hand on the bone balls of his wrist, signaling to Sun to cover up Irei's little elfin-like ears…

The deity immediately complied, after taking the little thing up in his arms and turned her away from the two of them. His student didn't wish for the child to listen, not wanting her to be soiled by anything that could manage her to acquire childhood trauma; something that he had not been spared from. And for that Sun could understand perfectly well, a mind can go as far back as the earlier stages of development.

There was about to be a rang war, a war formulated with words no less.

And yes, Kazuma's actions were disrespectful; being from student to master. However, Sun Wukong had not minded one bit… In truth, he knew the hand signals quite well, for they were the same one that Kaguya had used way back centuries ago.

All this meant to him, was that Kazuma was on his way to becoming the leader he was destined to be. That inside, a part of Kaguya resided within himself; which further proved that she was alive once again…

Kuwabara Kazuma was, indeed, Kaguya-Hime.

So, if you were to catch a glimpse of him possessing a smile ten miles wide, you now know the answer.

Anyway, back to the other two…

Kazuma wasn't about to parry away from such criticism, instead, he turned upon his heels and faced her. "Elaborate… Define who is 'everyone'?" He challenged, idly moving back towards her, slightly in an meandering gait. "Hiei? Kurama? Or that impetuous, dick-headed, ass licking, slimy, low-down dirt-bag you all call a friend?"

Botan tried to restack her confidence, building it up as best she could, but to no avail, it quickly faltered. "Well, Yusuke could have-"

"WHAT? Sweet honey iced tea! What could he have done, Botan?" He demanded, jabbing his elbows out, followed by extending his arms slightly outwards from his sides…

Odile had stepped up to the plate, now influencing him to some extent; the personality who was the key to his envy.

The psychic then leaned over, reaching for the table, and only then to knock upon the its top. "Here's reality knocking at your door, answer it…" He slapped his hand down and stood back upright, looking her keenly in the eyes. "He wasn't there, and he still isn't! And yet, the whole world follows the man who they believe is worth the spit in a dead hooker's mouth, a man who pretends to be a baller when clearly he ain't, never minding his true quality… If he were to take a gander into the mirror of truth, I reckon he'd see nothing but a steaming pile of shit!" He pounded his fist over his chest, gesturing to his the heart. "It's all face value with a lot of you!" He finished, melodramatically addressing to his own face; with his fingers spread out, hands open. And his eyes had turned wild, wide with malice, as he grit and barred his teeth at her.

Taken aback, the reaper backed away from him… The fear in her had been stirred, and she was very much afraid of what he might do to her.

She had never seen this side of him before, never, at least not solely directed at her. He was indeed intimidating, if not completely terrifying.

He wasn't the funny man she came to know, the man that everyone was so fond to laugh at.

The atmosphere around them, by this time, had darkened, as though somehow someone had dimmed the lights. Mind you, there was NO dim-switch attached to any candle stick; which had been the only means of light, since there was no electricity or wires in the whole entire building…

The flames flickered wildly upon these candles' wicks, as though a draft coming from his immediate direction, was dictating over their wills.

Botan quickly backed away from him, backing herself up against the wall; which provided nothing more than a false sense of security.

"Is it any wonder that I reject him first?" He remarked, his tone seeming beastly, deepening, and grating demonically against her ears. "He is nothing but an egotistical fool, a poser! And you wan' him up in dis hizzy? So he can bring his bitchy punk ass self up in my grill, wit' his BMS, an' tell me what kind of man I am? Is that what you gist?"

Botan cringed, grimacing at those words; his sudden use of slurs and slang terms no different than speaking in tongues. It was all the same to her, because she partially had no clue as to what he was getting on about.

"Bitch please!" He condemned, his eyes flashing, literally burning with flame as the whites in his eyes became blackness as coal. "If he presents, I'll bust a fuckin' cap in his ass! He'll be chokin' on ice water up in shit creak by the time I'm done with him… Guzzling down iced shit water, down his throat hole and breathin' it in through his goddamn nose!"

The fairy's eyes bulged, startled by hearing him talk so low and filthy like that. Not to mention the fact that he was SO touchy, pissy like a mangy cat covered in lipstick.

"Like an angry woman" would be a better way to describe it; a blood thirsty she-devil straight from hell, who was on the verge of taking down anybody in her path.

Oh, how and why did she forget this? After all, she had been among the group who had endured his scorn, his tyranny and scrutiny when incited…

The manifestation of his envy, his spite!

Every footstep he took was like bombs sounding off in the distance, shaking the floor beneath them and causing the place to rumble.

"Now, let me get this straight to ya!" He continued, opaque shadows casting upon his face, his gaze now perfectly hooded; giving him that appearance of evil. "That fuckin' cock of the block is a poser, that fish ain't for realz… Because if he wasn't, he would have never left us to begin with." He stopped in his tracks, now standing at least two feet away from her. "Yo girly, don't make me lose my cool up in here! Stop being so damn uppity, before I reach over and pull that out that nappy ass rag glued to yer head!"

Botan trembled, turning pale and blue in the face at his threat.

She regretted ever having provoked him, seriously. Apparently she had no clue as to who she was messing with, having grown way too comfortable in his company. It left her with no choice, but to take her own fear with his loathing, and somehow manage to swallow it down her throat.

She had been a fool, for going where perhaps even the angels would dare not to tread.

His shadow crept upon the floor, appearing maniacal and inhuman; a beast liken to a two headed, horned jackal (Hyena, really, which is in the feline family and not a canine) littered with a million faces all over its body, with over a thousand teeth as sharp as razors…

There seen, as a shadow, revealed Odile's true form.

Not that she noticed, because she didn't. She was too afraid to look elsewhere.

"He ain't dope, he's cold Prada and a schmoe. And all he ever did was dick around, namely when he shouldn't have. When he comes around the curve, he'll be spinning, tripping over his balls, burnin' into the pavement. Ya know what I'm sayin'?"

His sinister gaze like bitter tombs scattered with flame, made to glow all over, hotter than iron need be for any craft, from which dire laments echoed forth... Swimming in flame, from within the inferno, in torment and in suffering, those who are forever lost….

Better known as his penance stare, for repentance was out of the question. A maneuver that would not effect only the guiltless and those who have no soul to burn…

To the latter, that included: Devils, gods, and full-blooded demons.

Botan was not amongst them, neither was Kurama and Yusuke.

"I…uhh…think…I do…" She tried to form an answer, sweat popping off her body in the size of bullets. She tugged and pulled at her collar, her throat becoming dry, and her body overcome by a tremendous heat.

Kazuma sneered at her in return, much to her dismay.

"That bitch's gonna get served!" He tetchily pronounced, his words dripping with venom. "You wanna know why? Because its people like him…" He paused and licked his lips. He now seemed so sincere, utterly absent of arrogance, and thought-provoking. "…Who lets people die, taking his place in the obituary column…people like us…" He first gestured to her, then himself. "To him, we're nothing but history; like garbage tossed into the streets. No one really thinks about it, because frankly no one cares…as long as they are not excluded, too."

Botan shook her head ever so slightly, refusing to believe in such a thing. "…No…"

"Yes…" was his adamant reply, containing much audacity though his tone was smooth and cool as he looked her dead in the eye. He then puckered his bottom lip and knitted his brow, fiendishly pretending to pout to spite her. "You've been casted out... Cuz you're old news to him…" After delivering mock sympathy, he let his jaw slack open, purposely giving her a pathetic, dumb look. "He's got a new life now, with new friends... People whom he regards to be much better than we could ever be."

He then placed his hands upon his hips and stepped forward, and leaned down over her…to speak into her ear words, both husky and laced with bittersweet; "He's the infection, my friend. A disgusting worm to the end, one that wiggles up inside a person's cunt or cock, and stays there to suck the life out of ya...like a leech. Your usefulness is gone, however, so he cut you off from him... Because, like an animal, you're expendable. Now, let me assure you, woman, that he didn't change for the better. Oh no, he merely pretended to for a time. He's not who you think he is. His true nature at last shows, for you and everyone else to see, so take a good fuckin' look and stop worshipping him as though he were god…"

He observed her closely as she trembled. Her whole being was frozen in place, afraid to even so much a breathe.

A heinous and cruel grin suddenly formed, slithered its onto his visage, as his eyes narrowed into the size of slits. "…Because your god is a sham."

His voice echoed, like many voices in one, combined of men and women and of beast…That is what he sounded like when he spoke the last six words. And it was those words that were, indeed, weapons.

It was unsettlingly alien, completely disturbing, and unlike any she had heard…

So, naturally, she coward before him… Overwhelmed by an agonizing sense of despair, which had suddenly hit her.

But there was no way that this could be him, she argued mentally with herself. The way he was behaving was far too cold.

Sun Wukong watched this all unfolded, all the while mindfully making sure that Irei remained oblivious.

He noted how Kazuma's darkness was becoming stronger, more formidable, and ever more present and willing to show its face. It must have something to do with the breakage of the second seal.

He knew better than anyone in the room, that it was Odile who was speaking, somehow seeping through the cracks and taking control.

Odile was a madman, a raving lunatic…

…Disturbed, for he was the one who possessed a sick sense of humor…

Having spent the last remainder of his lifetime in chains, sealed up inside a dank and icy cave that very much became his locked tomb, with nothing but darkness as he eventually lost his will and starved to death. And unfortunate ending, and all because people wished not to deal with the likes of him; doing away with him after his capture in the time of winter.

He became envy because he was never granted the privileges of ordinary men. In fact, he was once a slave, given up by his caretakers and forced to serve as an oracle, only then to become a homeless beggar after his escape; filthy, ragged and pitiful… A conniving wretch, who had fled into Germanic country, much to his own disgrace.

But not all things are as they seem, for he was actually a woman who yearned to be a man…for it was men who held the most power. Described as being wicked and a "siren in mortal flesh"; during the end of the golden age of the Greeks.

Odile coveted the lives of humans, and thus took anything to himself, all that there is to be known, so that it could be of use to him; his tools to overcome those who dared to embark upon besting him. And no one but a few knows what his true name is, what it once was before he had adopted this one that is known today.

Nevertheless, despite such a tragic tale, that man fed upon the emotions of people, especially fear; ever draining the world so lonely… As the ever Snow White Queen, deep down, whose heart is frozen… The bitter woman known as Helena…

But one must think, Kuwabara is an empath, and one of the negative traits of being as such…was absorption; cursed to soak in all the energy unleashed into the world that surrounds him.

Nonetheless, the Chinese Deity had to hand it to him, though. His darkness was gifted with a silver-tongue, manipulative, and possessed the talent to be convincing by using the truth and twisting it around.

Quite often, Devils spoke the truth, for lying was only half as fun. Devils rarely ever lie, if any at all. The trick is, that they know how people work… That when the chips are down, even the most civilized of individuals will eat each other up. They know how to play people's minds; like the strings on a fiddle.

Kazuma stood back upright, his tongue glazing over his teeth, and stepped back from her; not once removing his gaze from her. "Fuck...shit! Oh, it must be SO hard to be him, someone who is simple yet so fuck-tastically sublime. Oh, boo- fuckin'-hoo." He stated with much disdain, before finally turning away from her.

Botan breathed in, as though the first time, and gave a sigh of relief.

"Now, Sawamura," He continued, now speaking with such fondness, as he unhurriedly continued his way to move away from her. "That cat was a true player. Caught him and Okubo sellin' drugs to kids by the pop, near the back alley, and they weren't nothin' but kids themselves… It's how I met them."

He breathed a laugh, which melted into a lengthy sigh; sadness enveloping him and laying heavy in his throat. The darkness and intensity seen in his eyes gradually fading away, and the atmosphere around them lifted along with that.

A sure sign that Odile was now letting up, slowly fading back into the background; returning to his subconscious.

"Pretty much, they weren't from well off families either, especially Okubo who was tryin' to earn a buck to feed his siblings. And as for Kirishima, he was just a loser in people's eyes that nobody wanted. …But they were tight, knew the whole backs of these ropes…" He stated, his words low as his voice became recognizable again, and yet, croaky.

He now felt hallow as glass bottle, his tone of voice reflecting his inner torment. And his sentences were broken up, as he became detached from everyone else.

"…They were my brothers… My family… It was my job…to keep'em out of…trouble… All I can do…is bottle up…and keep it…warm."

Botan was baffled by this, so it seemed at first. Then, after setting aside a quarter of her fear, a great sense of pity was felt for the man. However, she was not about to be the one to fix him. No. That unnerving sense of dread, that fear that she retained for him, was still there…unwilling to go anywhere for the time being.

She could deal with Yusuke's flighty despair, but Kazuma was NOT him…

Yusuke was different. So different.

Someone else has to cure the psychic's tragedy.

"Look…" He said in a much calmer tone, addressing her again. "What you do in your own time is your own business. You can keep on admiring that fag, like all the rest of those fucktards and fluzies… But count me out of it. Please, exclude me from the group, for I want no part in that fan base. I beg pardon for my speech, for seeing that it has affected you." That was his way of trying to be curt with her, without skipping about how he felt about the circumstances.

_{"...I **w**a**s** h**i**s **b**i**g**g**e**s**t** f**a**n...**a**n**d** I **w**o**u**l**d**n'**t** b**e** w**h**a**t** I **a**m **t**o**d**a**y** i**f** i**t** w**e**r**e**n'**t** f**o**r **h**i**m**... D**o** I **h**a**t**e **h**i**m**? **N**o**t** r**e**a**l**l**y**, n**o**. I'**m** j**u**s**t** a**n**g**r**y, **i**s **a**l**l**. I** w**a**n**t** h**i**m **t**o **b**e **t**h**e** o**n**e **t**o **f**o**r**k **t**h**e** b**i**l**l**, to play him as he played me. S**__o__, **y**e**a**h**. I **i**d**o**l**i**z**e** t**h**e **d**a**m**n **g**u**y**!**"}_

He turned back around, facing her direction. To her surprise, the shadows upon his face had lifted and his eyes had returned to what they once were; that dazzling, no matter how empty they may appear, orpiment.

"And let me tell you this, servin' it straight up…" He said. "Don't count on me. I'll be there when things get dicey, I'll have your back, protect you, get you where you need to be… Hell, I'll even take on the whole world, if I have to… But I'm not going to be your hero. No, that position is reserved for the bullshitter." He ended it with a malicious glint in his eyes, which had quickly went away as it came.

Botan swallowed the dry lump in her throat, her moisture and spit had at last returned in her mouth.

"Well, I still hold to my opinion…" She said, stuttering slightly, whilst doing her best to pick her words carefully. "You shouldn't have confronted him like you did, you know. Yusuke didn't deserve that, especially coming from you."

There she goes harking on that old tune, for that he had again turned his back to her.

"Yeah. Yeah. I'm to blame for everything." He remarked with a snort.

"Well, this all wouldn't have happened if you hadn't done that." Botan argued, chastising him nonetheless. "You punched him in the back of the head, of all places, Kuwabara. And as he said, you called him out, which embarrassed him! Do you honestly think he would forgive you for that?" She then sighed, crestfallen as she felt defeat was about to rear its ugly head around the corner at any moment. "You were more like a brother than a friend to him, and after you had left him, high and dry…" She tried her best to reason with him, giving it her best shot. "He abandoned everything. Everything that had made him human."

Kazuma bobbed his head side to side, grinning to himself, as though he had just heard a bad joke. "I don't expect him to...forgive me, that is. And neither would I have it any other way."

Odile, apparently, was not finished yet with his influence. But she should be eternally grateful that he was not out about full throttle, and what she had seen was simply half of the way.

However, she was oblivious as to what was going on, just as she was unaware as to who she was dealing with.

Botan shouted out in frustration, her hope of him being sensible flushed down the toilet. "Unbelievable!" She yelled, her face contorted by anger as she stepped forward, with her hands resting upon her hips. "You men and your senseless pride!"

After kissing his teeth, Kazuma began to convey her thoughts, laying them before her with cynicism; mocking her in a tone of gentle sweetness. "And you're about to request of me to be a sport and get over myself, yes? So he doesn't have to, because we all know he would never even consider about, not even so much as think of doing something so self-sacrificial like that? ...And by doing this, I'll be doing you all a favor?"

The reaper blinked at him in surprise, a twinkling of her hope returning, and yet, spooked as to how he managed to figure something like that out. "Well, yes…actually…"

"Not a chance." He retorted scathingly, refusing to let anyone else but him to roll the dice.

Botan's optimism immediately wilted, along with her stance. In less than a second, she dropped down to her knees, giving in to despair. Her negative vibes wafting off of her being, coming from her soul.

Seeing her like this, sparked something in him, that good in him that was still evidently there.

With a shake his head, he said; "Forget about it. Keep true to yourself. Don't make the same mistake that I did, by trying to be a people pleaser. And don't try to make it right… Cuz I won't accept it."

_"So it's true…"_ Botan thought dejectedly. _"The world has changed you."_

Well, to be honest, she did asked for it; therefore she got what was coming to her. And what had transpired here, had brought to mind an old saying; "Those who are born in the light, usually find their way into darkness…never to return to the light ever again." That, and "If you try to raise one to be a saint, you'll end up with a horrid sinner."

The lesson to these quotations here, is that one should never try to suppress nature… Doing so often leads to severe, if not dire, consequences.

You can't fight the darkness, you can only keep it at bay.

"Yeah. Pretty much." He answered flatly, for her to know.

And Sun Wukong merely shook his head at all of this, then chuckled to himself impishly.

Both Kazuma and he had foreseen this attempt done by her behalf, after all... With all the signs of her trying to butter the psychic detective up. It was for the best to just get it all out of the way...

Though he doubt Kuwabara will completely remember what had just transpired here today...

But it was a blow, no matter how it seemed so unnecessary or as unfair as to how he carried it out, that was needed.

**#4#5#6**

_"No remnants were ever found of it_  
_Dealing the heart bile_  
_With every fake smile_  
_Though no evidence was ever found_  
_It never went away completely_

_I tried to welcome the unholy sound of it_  
_Another day gone_  
_Another night's drawn_  
_Dark forces pull me underground_  
_That never went away completely_

_How can I feel this empty_  
_I will not recover this time_  
_This loneliness is killing me_

_Will I ever know peace of mind again_  
_I don't believe it_  
_I can't achieve it_  
_I think I know it's just another sign that_  
_Never went away completely"_

-Disturbed; "Asylum"

**…TBC…**

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**Author's Comments:**

Well, that was a rather interesting chapter. But hey, it had to come sooner or later. We all know, if Botan could, she would try to talk some sense into Kuwabara… Mmm… But it didn't work, as you can see. And neither should she have brought up the fact that she made a bet with Sun to see if Kuwabara really was all that.

And look, you got to see a bit of what Odile (pronounced "O-deel") is like, a glimpse. Oh, boy.

KM17: Yes, he is. And as you can see, that chapter played a significant part in this one. I wanted him to get his thoughts and opinion across on the matter. As for his dad, well… If you can recall, that man was just as much as his step dad as the current one is. He doesn't like any of his step-fathers. I noticed Kazuma's frustration towards "Mr. Kuwabara" in the manga, noting how he didn't get along well with the man, took it and went with it. The guy you see in the manga is the second step-father.

Thank you all for reading. Please review or leave a comment. I would greatly appreciate it, very much so.


	40. Ch 4 p3

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

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**THE EVIDENCE OF A DANGEROUS MIND**

**[The King of Fools on The Rise]  
**

**_"Diamonds are luxury items, coins decide the fate of mankind... But I won't just settle for diamonds, nor coins. No, I'll take the whole damn deck and make The Fool their god! That is, after I scratch out all of the unnecessary faces. After all, there's only room for one clown in this business… I'll show them… I'll show them all what a 'Fool' can really do, and we'll see who will be laughing!" _**

**oOo**

Botan sighed as she pushed herself up off the floor, contrite yet leery toward Kazuma about the incidents; both the one that had happened half a century ago and the one that had just occurred.

_"Forget about him, Botan."_ She remembered the word's of an old friend clearly._ "That fool is a loser. That brainless dolt's nothing more than a clown, an incompetent idiot seeking for attention."_

She should have heeded Yusuke's words concerning the matter, rather than trying a hand at fixing it herself.

_"…Nothing more than a clown…"_ His words echoed in her mind, surfacing in broken intervals._ "…a loser…who wishes he could be just like me…but he never will…I've got that clown beat…he's nothin' but a joke and he knows it..."_

In ancient times, The Fool's job was to entertain the King and his court, whilst also rallying the people to cheer for the one in rule. Every kingdom has a village idiot or a town fool, the guy that everyone loves to hate, and yet, once in awhile some idiot takes pity on him…

Exhibiting loony behavior, deficient in grace, socially awkward, always showboating is the butt of every joke, with a "kick me" sign perpetually stuck to his back. His purpose was to make everyone else feel better about themselves, and yet, always crossing the line, going so far as to become executed...

Ever deceiving, strutting about, delivering a display of showy antics, and always seemingly seen with that wide Cheshire cat grin… Deep down, the fool was a miserable soul, perhaps the most wretched of all.

In the darker times of mankind, "The King of Fools" was held up high...before cruelly being made fun of, whilst forced to be pummeled with edibles. Such a heinous act dealt by the people often forced The Fool to return to The Underground; to live a wretched life in a world of decadence and crime... Down in the bowels of The Underground, The King of Fools was actually "The King of Thieves". In other words, he was a thug... But not just any thug, for he held more power than any king. And those of The Dark Side, the wheels that turned the machinations in The Underground, the outcasts of society, reputed him as their own personal Redeemer.

...Secretly, The Fool was the ultimate enemy, as he was regarded as the public nuisance, hiding underneath their noses all along...

The cunning serpent who breathed fire and moves as a phantom in the night; committing acts of treachery and conspiring against those whom he regarded as foes, always getting the better hand of everyone who is in his way...until he gets caught red-handed.

However, this subject in question, throughout the ages has not changed much at all… In fact, the fool has managed to keep up with the times, in this modernized age. "The Class Clown", for an example, either ends up in a career as a comedian or serves as a source of entertainment, or...eventually ends up behind bars as "the useless, unforgiving clown" that everyone despises.

In a deck of cards, it was The Fool who called the shots; the headcheese who overshadowed them all, positioned in the highest place as he observes the scene below him… Ever clever, ever manipulative, especially at the time of war... Which is why most prefer to keep him out of the game, marking him off as being "useless".

Death is the fool's best friend, and in a sense, the fool represented death… For death comes with a smile, always laughing at the ones whose time has at last come...to journey to the other side. And The Fool always made deals with The Devil, becoming an agent of His work. Yet, he can pull tricks and maneuvers like a magician.

But THIS fool didn't die, instead he got the short end of the stick by being exiled from the team…from his own group of friends, never to return.

She wondered if the half-breed had listened to Hiei far too much, heeding to the fire demon's cynicisms…

Either way, she really didn't like clowns; fools, harlequins, whatever you may call them. They were WAY too creepy, were devious by nature, and always responsible for any calamity that occurs. Clowns are evil, pure and simple, and were such deceptive, psychotic creatures; agents of chaos!

[_Stephen King's "It", the clown who was the soul picture of The Boogie Man, was an image that always loomed itself into her head. That, and "The Killer Clowns from Outer Space"... And let's not forget the ever popular and renowned face of The Joker. And those disgusting and hateful clowns in the children's movie, "Dumbo", and all the rest that walk the earth or manage to appear on television; including that awful music band and the blood-thirsty harlequins seen in video games._

_In real life, clowns were hateful, spiteful jerks. And in many horror movies and children's tales, were the monsters that lurked in the closet or under the bed!_

_Freddie Cougar behaved as though he was a clown, and that in itself was enough to incite fear without his sadistic maneuvers of how he went about killing people!_]

Though she was assigned as a reaper, she feared death; The true genuine death, not the faerie variety. She was awfully terrified of The Devils… But nothing terrified her more than a CLOWN.

_ "Be awful if all three were combined into one package…"_ She thought apprehensively, visibly pale. _"Because if I see that, that's it! I'm out of here! Good-bye!"_

Looking back at Kuwabara, she couldn't help but feel uneasy...

The man whom everyone referred to as a "The Fool".

The man who wanted to live his dreams, to be seen and recognized for the part he played, but all was denied to be.

Clowns usually start out this way, as poor pitiful sap who starts a joke, only to find out in the end that the joke was himself...that the joke had been on him all along.

_"..Nothin' but a joke and he knows it..."_ Yusuke's words repeated, hauntingly, as though he was here as of right now. But he wasn't. He wasn't here.

Clowns usually start out as being nice people, noble and honest people, but eventually takes a wrong turn down the path somewhere.

[_Being a reaper, she knew this well._]

Either ending up in jail, in an asylum, or end up in a gutter somewhere...after getting drunk, which only then can they summon the courage to off themselves.

Neither one did she wish to happen to the psychic, because he certainly wasn't making a career out of his faults.

However, Kuwabara was not like the others, for he was a man who would go to lengths to prove himself...to try to keep up with everyone else.

In the past, Kuwabara, whether intentionally or not, always made people laugh...

[_Yusuke was once a BULLY, like the Knights of Templar or a nobleman who behaved as a brute and a thug, not a clown... There's a major difference between the two.__ Though he can be a good person, he wasn't a nice guy always. He was a brat and a jerk, a real dickweed; not that has ever changed, as Kazuma had said, because deep down he doesn't change for anyone._.. _Now that, she had come to terms with._]

And he laughed with them, at himself. But some of his jokes weren't funny, ones which people often shunned him for; i.e the cracks he made about his friends whenever he felt emotionally threatened...

Or his clever one liners...

_"In case you have forgotten, I've got a sword!"_ He had often quipped in the past, obviously referring to his manhood or his macho-ness. No one laughed, of course.

Nor did anyone laugh at his failed attempts to be recognized, repeating his name relentlessly...so that no one would forget...

No, they all called him "baka" instead. He always ended up hurting himself over the things he had said, which everyone thought to be downright hilarious!

"Baka" means "idiot", "idiot" is another term for "fool", and no matter how many words it may lead to and no matter how you look at it...it all leads back to the single word "clown".

But a clown only learns to become dangerous when he has given up everything, including all morality, and begins breaking the rules set by The Law...

...They had created a monster, or had freed the beast within...being demon or otherwise...

Hopefully not "otherwise".

_"I need to find Hiei...and have a word with him...that is, if I can find him..."_

Too man Kurama wasn't here either, because the fox was so much easier to talk to than the fire youkai. _  
_

She wanted to uncover the meaning behind all of this...

However, there was a part of her that was ever so terrified by doing so, for the answer she might find...plausibly, she might not like.

To be honest, she wasn't in that big of a hurry.

"Botan… I don't want any hard feelings to be between us." Kazuma said all of a sudden, then looked over his shoulder back at her."...Ya feel me?"

He had such a somber expression, cold sober, bound and determined. His body taut and his shoulders broad. But quickly all that had melted away in a matter of seconds, his facial expression softening, his complexion brightened, becoming more congenial, and his eyes shined with much purity and benevolence.

**...TBC...**

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**Author's Comments: **

This was part 3 of chapter 4.

Yes, it's short... But I had a choice of either taking this part out of the story or including it in the next chapter. Despite how awfully short it is, it still bares much significance in the story and the plot.

For those who didn't understand the card bits and the tarot cards... Well, this is part of it, to help clear things up a little more.

KM17: Thanks for the comment... That's just how Odile speaks and acts (though s/he is not the only one). Yes, it was Kuwabara, but a different part of him. As for your latter comment, I cannot reveal. Yes, he will confront Yusuke again...but I won't give away as to when he will.

More to come, but I don't know how soon... Been feeling under the weather lately.

Please review or leave a comment. Much obliged.


	41. Ch 5 p1

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**ANGELS AND INSECTS**

**[SOMETHING UGLY THIS WAY COMES]**

One thing's for sure, Kuwabara was a sincere man by heart. He never told a lie, nor was he pompous enough to never ask for forgiveness, nor was he hardhearted. That is a quality that Yusuke certainly lacked.

The psychic never putted on the "bad boy" act, unlike The Tourin Prince. Because, honestly, he never needed to, and neither did he see any reason to. He never played anyone, more than ever in the past. And he was never a snitch.

While Yusuke had always been a punk, Kuwabara was a debonair brand of thug…

Mainly with how he behaved and how Kuwabara chose to live his life. He was classy, charismatic, orderly, and traditional. He would have been perfect in the Mafia, especially as a boss or a Don. More over, he was honorable.

Tough on the outside, but inside, he possessed a heart of gold… A true boy scout. He's polite and a total sweetheart and a gentleman. And he only hurt those who were deserving of punishment.

(However, as of right now, he was proving to be rather incorrigible, more so than he had ever been before. He was incredibly obstinate.)

He doesn't need his name up in lights, the man just wants to be heard. Although he was humble, being a god, he enjoyed the moments of being in the limelight.

Yusuke, on the other hand, used to steal, cheat, lie, and just about always trying weasel his way out of anything that concerned work or school. He even tried to swindle a fellow student, insisting that he should pay him a percentage of his profits.

Though he was serious, Kuwabara was also a laidback type of fellow and knew how to have fun; good, decent, and clean fun... Well, usually, since sometimes he would be lenient enough to bend the rules.

Yusuke was often a grouch, a grump; always brooding to himself, usually silently about his troubles… For once in a time, not too far away, he was deeply troubled; namely in his teen years. But even he liked having fun, though sometimes his meaning of "having a good time" was questionable. He was an instigator, his personality switching back and forth from hot to cold.

The two were misfits, a common ground in which they both shared.

On the other hand, despite his past, Yusuke was a winner; as he was destined to be. He never lost a fight, but once… Even so, he never lost his fame.

However, the main reason behind as to why Spirit World was exempting him from his "crimes" was simply because they needed him, to save them as he had done before.

This cannot be said for Kuwabara…

He was like a Toy Soldier, for many times he had broken, bit by bit, and fell apart. He had been the casualty one way too many, shot down by strangers whose glances often cripple the heart and devour the soul. Many misjudge him.

He doesn't see anything now, not anymore. And they could say what they wanted to say, because as time progresses... He won't be listening anymore. He was getting sick of speaking, too, preferring to not talk so much like he has been... Because, truthfully, no one takes him seriously when words do progress from his mouth.

Kuwabara felt so unlike everybody else, alone, in spite of the fact that some people still think that they know him.

He didn't belong with them, that's for certain.

Yusuke had died, twice, literally. And now times were as though long ago, just like the hearse he had died to get in again. And those who once knew him well, or thought they did, are now so far away from him. Heartlessly, he had taken a match and incinerated all who he knew, those hearts whom he had broken…

They were the very hurt he sold, left in the world to be eaten up…

One of them had been alone, abandoned yet not forgotten…

For Kuwabara, it would do him well to go about his own way…to find his own path in life… Yet, things would have been so much better if he had stayed; at least in the minds of those who wish he had not gone…

Now, he had no little choice but to hold on…and wait…just a little longer…

To at last utter those departing, inescapable words in the making: "So long and good night".

And before then, the Mazoku Lord would have to face the mess he had created… And low and behold the end effect of his actions.

Yusuke may have a definite mean streak in him, for he has defeated and wasted many foes, but he lacked the kind of callousness that only Devils possess…

The blood lust, the sheer ruthlessness, and the tenacity to bring about justice through ministrations of absolute torture, and the unwavering capacity to exterminate without remorse; the alarming ability to turn off one's own conscience and abandon all morality, and yet, remain untainted nevertheless.

His death threats were often empty, a façade to terrify those whom he fought; like all demons, he thrived off of violence.

They were going to regret ever having found him, the psychic witch was going to make sure of it, no doubt.

Debts needed to be paid.

But alas, there was a problem, a flaw, an obstacle that stood in the way. He was terrified, terrified of what's inside of him more than anything else. He was now turning to stone, and as a matter of speaking, while holding his breath half to death…

Ah, but he had a major role to play, a big part in all of this, as does Yusuke… But much bigger than anyone would ever likely to believe…

**Utter goodness was Evil in disguise, righteousness the foundation of destruction…**

**oOoOo**

_A long time ago, in The Underground Realm, there lived a Princess who dreamt of the human world and what it was like to be human. She dreamt of blue skies, gentle wind, the moonlight, and sunshine; indeed, she yearned the very simple things that most humans today take for granted._

_One day, after eluding her guardians, the Princess escaped from the darkness. But once outside of her world, a great brightness from the sky had flashed before her and blinded her, erasing every trace of the past from her memory; forgetting who she was and where she came from._

_Having been deceived and made mortal by one of the corrupt gods, she suffered from cold, sickness, and pain, and eventually, she died._

_The God All Creation, her father, and The Goddess of All Nature, her mother…_

_…Mourned for their daughter, The Child of The Eclipse; The Black Sun…_

_Her father denies himself of any sustenance, of any necessity, a vow in which he had made and will keep until the very day, the very hour his daughter has at last returned to him._

_As did his Queen, the woman who sat beside him in power; The goddess of Nature and fertility, the deity of femininity who, a part of her, dwelled within all women._

_The Sun wept for His beloved Moon's passing; a sign bestowed into the heavens in remembrance… For every eye to behold, so that they may know that the sun and the moon live apart. A gift given unto her by the ones who loved her most.  
_

_Nevertheless, her father, the King, always knew that the Princess' soul would return; perhaps in another body, in another place, at another time. However, her true identity had been all but lost forever. And cursed to live as a human, as a mere mortal, to be reincarnated after one life after another, until the day when she will at last return; vindicated…_

_…To reigned there with justice and a kind heart…_

_But he will wait for her, until every living thing drew its last breath, and until the world stopped turning…_

**…**

**This was the story that he replayed in his mind, going over the details painstakingly, calculating and taking to heart every single part...**

**For you see...for within it...lied a much grander scheme, within this broader picture had been set before him...**

**...There's a hole in this world, dark, great and terrible, with morals that weren't worth what a pig could spit, and inhabiting within it was utter filth...**

**...Filth with its stench, wreaking such a rancidness unfathomable to put into words...**

**[_He had never been wrong to begin with, he was just ahead of the game was all._]  
**

**But this was his way to pay his debts, the trial to erase his misdeeds, for the crimes he had committed as a lowly human… **

**So he would at last achieve his exact form.**

**Nevertheless, he knew he could not escape his judgment, knowing full well the contempt that lied in Narakumaru's heart for him. He will die at The Evil Lord's hands, possibly even incinerated by the mighty dragon…**

[_Narakumaru was a great warrior, but he did not deal with those whom he hated kindly._]

**But he was rest assured that it would not spell the end.**

**He understood this well, for Devils were creatures of justice; their hearts never straying from what is right, and knowing the consequences of wrong… In short, The Devils lived for retribution, righteousness, and truth.**

**He feared not death… For Death, he served…**

**And his mission had been made clear…**

**He must help lead the way, so that Goddess can at last be revived and live once again…**

**But for that to happen, the human soul must cease to subsist, less She would forget who She is completely and become forever mortal…**

**What had been left were the tiniest of traces, one being her essence, and the other Her character…**

**But that will cease to be as well, if she continues to be in this current state…**

**Her memory fade away with Time and so will they…**

**Again, all that was left were traces, signs of her existences…**

**Time and time again, her father had opened portals, and had even placed her within the wombs of prospective child bearers, who in reality was his queen who dwelled in human-like flesh, and hoping that at last she would awaken again…**

**But alas, She had been cursed, damned by the fraudulent gods…so that She may forever fail and doom to never be seen as anything but unworthy and weak…**

**…So that their own savior would forever stand above Her, so that She can never be the deity She once was**...:

_She was another Mother Goddess, another which possessed many names, but was widely known as The Triple Goddess; The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone. Morrigna was one of these names; which meant "The Great Phantom Queen", but in English the name translated in "nightmare" or "terror"…_

_But not many spoke of her, at least not by this name._

_First and foremost, She was the deity over psychics, witches, sorcerers, alchemists, and magicians. Secondly, she was the dark goddess of war, the deity who begets both darkness and terror. And thirdly, she was the second Goddess of The Dead; The Grim Reaper, who is not only responsible for one's demise, but is a deity of those who have shed from their mortal coil._

_[The Original, First Goddess of Death had all but completely resigned from her position, after choosing The Princess to be her successor.]  
_

**As for Her spouse, He had many names...**

_"Lord Hades" was one, but also another name that stood out the most...was Cernunnos, Cern for short, as spoken of and seen in ancient Celtic mythology; The Great Horned God of All Beasts and of the wild things that lived upon the earth, The Lord of All "Terrible" Things and not just that of Demons. _

_It was he who was The Dark One, The God of The Underworld._

_…The horned serpent seen in depictions of him was actually a dragon, the beasts that were his, as he was one of them..._

_[Cern was his positive nature, the better side of good within himself... Though clearly animalistic, since he is the very picture of masculinity.]  
_

**But the best name that had ever been given to him, one that stood above all the rest, and all of the worlds understood and knew perfectly clear who this person was by hearing it…**

**LUCIFER**

_However, his true story had been lost in time, thanks to the countless religions who accused him for being pure evil…_

_…"I think therefore I am, I think therefore I sin"…_

_But perhaps this was not far from the truth, for he did not live accordingly to the ways of everyone else. He was, after all, The God of Darkness._

_He was called "The Demon of Light", but he was NO demon.  
_

**…He was to reign with her, over this world, over this earth, as given unto him by The Creator himself…**

**…Although, an accordance had been made, that she and he would primarily rule over the night, while The Creator himself would rule over the day…**

**…All in all, it was their divine right, which had been taken away from them, stolen by the treacherous and envious deities who now rule the earth...**

**A hell which all began when the god of war and of lightning, Raizen's ancestor who played part of a grand scheme, had swindled his lover… Tricking her to hand over her rights, made her body mortal… **

**The fiend then brought great harm to her, by striking her blind with a volt of lightning…**

**...For these heinous acts, he had been destroyed on the spot, and sent to dwell forever in unending torment...  
**

**More over, and most importantly, someone had fed her fetid fantasies, filling her head with dreams which had lead her to commit something so foolish…**

_[...And above all, she had a fascination with humans..._

_...She was deeply intrigued by their kind, how they lived their daily lives, with their faults and strengths..._

_...she even so much as wondered what it would be like to be one of them..._]**  
**

**...That person was none other than King Yama himself...but he had evaded his punishment and turned just about everyone to his side...**

[_But none of this had came into light, that is, until now in this age. And poor Narakumaru had been betrayed thrice, and deceived just as many, by the demon-god; the one who now sits to judge the dead, who had swindled and cheated his way to be at such a high status. Hell was all he had left and HELL was what he was going to bring._]**  
**

**And when her mortalized body had failed her, her lifeless corpse became the very first Mulberry tree that had formed upon the face of the earth, sprouting forth from the soil in China…**

[_As Marko Polo had discovered, the garden of paradise was originally in China; where all life originated, though the foundation of man's existence began in a part of Africa._

_Nevertheless, the most sacred of land in the world was not there, nor was it in Jerusalem; as many foolish men have squabbled over it so believed. No. It was Ireland herself, and her sisters Britain and Wales. There were also other sacred sites as well, such as in Spain, Germany, and even in Turkey._]

**Its twisted, misshapen and wretched form served as a depiction, illustrating to the world of her great suffering and loss...and its fruit was her tears...  
**

**...Which was why The Mulberry Tree was held as such a sacred symbol, and more than often, mortals confused its power with either a pomegranate or fig tree...**

**Again, she had left behind small traces of her time on Earth, but signs that were visible only to those who know where to look…**

**It was his mission to reveal them, and to set the arrows pointing in the right direction!  
**

**...TBC...**

**

* * *

**

**Author's comments:**

This is Chapter five part one. There will be a part two.

Alas, I am still not feeling well... So my writing skills are terrible...

For now, you'll have to guess who's point of view this is coming from. And this chapter should clear something for the readers, that question that some of you might have...

Kazuma doesn't know he's the one, simply because he doesn't remember. And even if he could remember his own past, he can't quite remember his past life... Even with Kaguya's help, because even she didn't know everything...because she couldn't remember her own past. So, yes, it's a mess. BTW, as you can see, Kaguya (and her past self, her true form, true identity, etc) has a fondness for humans, and still is fond of them despite everything that has happened to her...

And like I said before, Koenma does play a major role in this story.

SAYA: You'll find your answer, believe me. He doesn't get his looks from his mother. Kuwabara has many personalities, many names... Out of all of them, there are three personalities that are the most dominant. I, myself, have nothing against Botan whatsoever. I like the girl, but she's not the brightest crayon in the box, though she's smarter than SOME people.

KM17: Yusuke can be such a prick, a brat... Yet many fans fail to see that, somehow. He's not a goody-goody. He's not honorable in the least. He's not a nice guy. Yes, he can be kind and do good things, but that doesn't make a person NICE. I have nothing against Yusuke, but I intend to try to keep him in character... And unfortunately, being that he is a demon... Despite what he said to The Captain of The SDF... He's likely to change, and I've seen or noticed these changes in his character myself. Demons are different than humans, it's a common fact. "Demon vs Human"...? The demon always wins; or in this case, his demon nature. He still loves Keiko, btw, and you'll find out later just how possessive he can be... But he also loves two other people, who are not human... Oi.

Thank you all for reading... Please review or comment... Thanks.


	42. Ch5 p2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**ANGELS AND INSECTS**

**Part Two**

**[The Mystery of The Underground]**

_"Though the tiniest piece of me stands before you, what you see is merely an illusion. The Universe has no form, it is everywhere, in everything…_

_I am not just a star that shines in the night, from which everything that's now before your eyes had formed…_

_I am what you all call "the world". Or perhaps, "the universe". Or perhaps, "God". Or perhaps, "truth". Or perhaps, "everything". Or perhaps, "all". And, perhaps I am "you"._

_There will be a time when you will see me no longer. My son must take my place here._

_Meanwhile, I have set the stage…for him to play his part."_

- The Count

**oOo**

Awhile ago, at twilight; when the moon is awake and the sun has laid down to rest…

Lavishly decorated, with gold and luscious reds, it contrasted with the more modestly furnished Commons Chamber which colors are that of green.

The furnishings were that of royal oak and brass. Elaborate brass buttresses and support beams canopy the tall diamond within square patterned and brass ceilings, to which fancy chandeliers hung from the beams to shed light upon the room below. Furthermore, to add more ambiance to the room, lining the walls in a midways distance from the floors to the maximum, aloft, old-fashioned brass lanterns branched outwards and stood proudly. High upon the walls, beneath the arches, were elegant and exquisite paintings of nobility and democracy; further adding to the room a rather enchanting air.

And sited at the front of the Chamber, is The Woolsack; where the higher power sits upon a red throne, seated within a elaborate yet gothic styled cage of gold. To the left and to the right of The Woolsack, exceptional candelabras, one standing opposite of the other.

The supporters of the Government were to sit on benches on the right of the Woolsack, while members of the Opposition were to sit on the left. Neutral members, also known as Cross-benchers, sit on the benches immediately opposite the Woolsack. The benches are covered with red leather; thus, is why the House of Lords is sometimes referred to as the "Red Chamber".

The place was utterly ostentatious, not an inch was lacking in detail. Every edge of wood was adorned with gilded knobs or carved into miniature figures and shapes, both wood and gold meticulously engraved with forgotten symbols and relics. Red and gold capered the walls in grace and styled elegance.

But outside this room, was The Peer's Lobby; but to get to there, one must march through Westminster's Main Hall, up the stairs of St. Stephen's Porch, down St. Steven's Hall, into The Central Lobby (Octagon Hall), and turn south into Peer's Corridor. The Lobby is a square room measuring 39 feet on each side and 33 feet in height.

This is an antechamber where Lords can informally discuss or negotiate matters during sittings of the House, as well as collect messages from the doorkeepers, who control access to the Chamber.

The floor is paved with encaustic tiles featuring heraldic designs and Latin mottoes, while the walls are faced with white stone and each is pierced by a doorway. Above the arches are displayed Arms representing the six royal dynasties which ruled England until Queen Victoria's reign, and between them there are windows stained with the arms of the early aristocratic families of England.

To the north is the vaulted Peers' Corridor, which is decorated with eight murals by Charles West Cope depicting historical scenes from the period around the English Civil War. The frescoes were executed between 1856 and 1866, and each scene was "_specifically chosen to depict the struggles through which national liberties were won_".

[_Examples included: Speaker Lenthall, Asserting the Privileges of the Commons Against Charles I when the Attempt was Made to Seize the Five Members; representing resistance against absolute rule. And The Embarkation of the Pilgrim Fathers for New England; which illustrates the principle of freedom of worship. These two were the most noted incidences in western human history._]

However, one of the Lobby's major features is the floor centerpiece; a radiant Tudor rose made of Derbyshire marbles and set within an octagon of engraved brass plates. A cherished marvel, one which is worthy of gorging eyes.

Moving on…

Now, of the doorways, the one to the south…which leads into the Lords Chamber…is the most magnificent, and sports much gilding and decoration, including the full royal arms… It is enclosed by the Brass Gates, a pair of elaborately pierced and studded doors together weighing 1.7 short tons. The side doors, which feature numerous clocks, open into corridors:

…To the east extends the Law Lords Corridor, which leads to the libraries, and nearby to the west lies the Moses Room, used for Grand Committees….

But let us move beyond this, down the Lobby's West Corridor, past The Judge's Court, The Office, The Anti and Witnessing Rooms… Taking a turn to the left, taking a path down the Chancellor's Corridor. Across from the Peer's Private Corridor, are the doors that lead to The Chancellor himself.

Of course there are other pathways to get there, but why miss out on such a dazzling display of architecture?

Although, Sensui was not one to dawdle on such trivial and materialistic things.

Rather than journeying through the Octagon Hall, venturing through the corridor that leads to The Lord's Chamber… He took an immediate turn to southward, right at the entry way in St. Stephens Hall, and walked up the stairwell that leads directly to Chairman's Corridor, which comes directly before Chancellor's Corridor.

Of course he had to get passed The Horse Guards who guard The Palace of Westminster and the rest of London, but this was no Buckingham Palace. Nevertheless, his entry was acceptable, though more so than any tourist could ever dream…

He was permitted free and right away entry, whether or not the doors were open; to which if they are, such grand rooms are view to the general public.

The Chancellor's main purpose is for the benefit of the Treasury, whilst the Lord Chancellor is The Head of The Ministry of Justice; whose proper place was located on 10 Downing Street.

However, above him, is The Prime Minister; who is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and ultimately to the electorate.

Pretty much, this place was the equivalent to The Pentagon, as Buckingham Palace was to The White House; the only difference was that there was not a Vice President, there was a Prime Minister instead.

Working in these halls, ahead of all that falls upon all of England, was none other than a God in a human vassal. Of course, he was no fool, he elected spokesmen to do his bidding, keeping himself from the public eye for the better course. He even so much as went behind a false name, a clever ruse to elude his enemies.

He was more than what he seemed, though people believed him to be a mere Count. He was no Count, however, he was The Grande Duke, furthermore, he was born a Prince.

It was by his own request, however, to be referred to as a Count, rather than a Marquis; the rank below a Duke, whose nobility was a direct lineage to the highest sovereignty in power.

He could not afford to go strutting about, showboating his power and authority. No. Being eternally ageless and beautiful was one matter, the other and much more stressing concern was that of those from Spirit World… They were always snooping around, putting their noses indiscreetly where they don't belong.

Moreover, besides being The Prime Minister, he was Fuehrer; The Leader and Chancellor of the Empire on the rise…

But his most secret of headquarters, lied beneath the city itself, many miles below, even under the bending Thames River. This property, his hidden kingdom, was known as "The Underground". And there is where the "Mystery Eleven" and he resided, hiding from the light of day.

It was also facilitated by the SOEs, an ambiguity meaning "Special Operations Executives", which is a disguised operation that was prepared thanks to World War II, and through none other than Churchill himself; another hired elective who played his part well in this master scheme. Some of the first SOEs were purely human, suited to fulfill their purpose, but most, as it still is today…were vampires; who refer themselves to being "The Death Eaters Society", in memory of their lost ones.

But no matter how you may look at is, the structure of "The Underground" was ingenious, especially since only their kind can into such unknown territory; no one else could access the doorways, let alone discover their whereabouts. However, the more proper term in use was: "The Ministry of State", in other words, a private Military Organization.

Nevertheless, down there, vampires lived as ordinary human people do on topside. And they inhabited with their God, unlike most species who lack such privileges or blessings. This was a place of refuge for all vampires and Devils alike. Their provisions are supplied legally by The Blood Banks, rather than feasting freshly on humans. And though it was literally under ground, in their underworld they beheld an eternal night sky.

Focusing back on the topside, in the world of mortals…

The air within these monolithic walls was warm and comforting, a hearty contrast against the all embracing brisk and nippy weather that reigned outside in the elements; London was perceptible to being a rather foggy and dank terrain...and very much, England was an entirely different world than Japan, that's for sure.

[_The English were more polite and cordial in manner, in fact, in just about everything that they do. They were very congenial, even in the most wretched of days._ _Even their wit and humor wasn't so unbecoming, though some of the common folk do push the limits beyond the acceptable boundaries._.. _The only ones who weren't so friendly, were constables and The Royal Guards; including the Horse Guards._ _The Governors can be rather serious, too, and often too serious. But nevertheless, people here tried their best to be polite and hospitable._

_But in all sincerity, the whole world was falling apart by the seams, and that included the U.K._]

He was not part of Mystery Eleven, as Reikai SO desperately believes, instead, Sensui was the humble messenger; the privileged errand boy to The King of Kings.

So, naturally, he was here to bring news and to be given the next line of orders.

The humans had long since left the structure, being that this palace's hours close around sunset.

Ah, but his Lord was here, meticulously tending to papers to make sure that all affairs had been taken care of. He may be a Supreme God, but he made sure the people of this country were taken well care of, as well as he looked out for The Queen and made sure that her interests were met.

This man was much older than he appeared, even after he had taken himself into human form…two centuries ago, during the Victorian period. And yes, Queen Victoria herself had been his human mother. His existence is a secret that the Sovereigns swore to keep, and in return, he would do anything in his power to guarantee a better England. But being wise, he considered the limitations of humans and thereby tries to keep to their laws and ways. Being a law-abiding gentleman, there are certain rules that one cannot afford to break; but nevertheless, he could bend them…

…But there was no one as honorable and noble as he, The King who lived the picture of a true gentleman…

Sensui prepared himself, sporting himself in a more proper and suitable manner.

He wore a fashionable, neatly pressed black suit; sleeves cuffed, his grosgrain lapels pinned, his waist cummerbund, and his tight and the rest rightfully tucked. His long flowing raven hair was greased and pulled tautly back into a ponytail. And his black leather shoes polished and shined.

Though he had just arrived here by using teleportation, an ability that only Devils and the most powerful of deities possess and is incredibly quicker than a "flash-step"… His King and Lord, on the other hand, had been here since before yesterday.

Sensui raised his hand, forming a fist to sound his presence by rapping on the wooden door.

But just when he was about to knock upon the entrance, a masculine voice spoke; "Please, do come in."

It was gravely and deep; like rivers of flowing water crashing into a precipice.

[_But Narakumaru had a much deeper, baritone voice._]

The ex-detective immediately turned the knob, pushed the door open, and entered.

Past the lobby and into The Chancellor's room to the right…

There The Count stood tall in all his earthly opulence; in an ivory suit made of silk, his matching jacket elegantly fashioned with coattails, his the collar and French cuffs of his jacket were trimmed with thread spun from material made of eighteen carrot gold, and the sleeves pinned shut by matching cufflinks made of the finest available. With his suit, he wore matching gloves, ivory leathered dress shoes with gold buckles, and a top hat and cane that one would presume came with the outfit itself.

And as for his appearance, he appeared almost identical as Kuwabara Kazuma, at least in how he looked about a month ago; especially with his curly and fiery ginger main, his narrow slit eyes, his turned up nose, and his manly, angular shaped visage. The only difference they shared then was that his skin was a pinkish yet peachy cream, though in a shade slightly darker than the psychic's, and upon his face he sported a neatly trimmed goatee.

The Count was finished with setting everything perfectly back in place, as though untouched, even the mignonette upon the chancellor's desk. And in his right hand was a large, orange envelope; the kind that serves as somewhat of a private folder, with brackets that close its opening, holding the fold shut that is located upon the top.

Sensui wasted no time in bowing before him, kneeling before him on bended knee.

"You know…it is times like this, I think of her." His Lord said meditatively, somewhat musing on the past as he eyed these walls made of wood and stone. "Demons had taken her away in this life, a sad price she…no doubt paid…for choosing to continue to live amongst the mortals; so self-sacrificing in nature… She was good to the core, but one often questions the motives behind those whom she knew. But I know her spirit rests on the other side…waiting for me to return…"

The Count then turned his attention toward his servant, to which then whom he commanded to stand.

And Sensui promptly obeyed.

"You, yourself, knows better than any other that those in Spirit World cannot be trusted…" The Count reminded. "This is why you were assigned to this mission. Who better than an ex-detective could shed some light upon this case and their misguided conspiracies." The latter statement wasn't a question, but a matter of fact.

"Quickly, let us take our conversation elsewhere."

...

_There are five ways that their kind can travel:_

_One was "Flash Step"; a maneuver of moving at sonic speeds, a demon could only manage to go half as fast._

_Another was through the ability of flight; something that only their race was able to do. Also, unlike demons and mortals, they had the capability to float or hover in mid air, not to mention that they were able to pass through solid objects. The use of their wings were completely supernatural and were not solid as people have depicted in paintings and sculptures; because if the wings were like the wings of birds', it would be entirely impossible to use them...wings such as those takes much muscle to maneuver flight correctly._

_Another was through "teleportation"; a maneuver to transport from one place to another in a quick instant. It was an ability in which only deities and devils could do, no human or demon could manage to achieve such an ability, even if they were taught; that is, if it could be taught at all, since all that is required is to picture a place in your mind and immediately you are there in a flash._

_And finally, becoming ultra-dimensional, that is to walk amongst everyone but invisible to the naked eye. They could also open portals and cross dimensions._

_And of course, the other way was to travel the way that mortals do, by foot, by animal or by automobile._

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

There might be a part three to this chapter. Yes. Sorry if I carried you all on a hay ride. Oi.

But this chapter does possess much significance in the story.

We can have some Sensui in the story, if you like… And if you wish to know what is going on, I'll write about it, and provide some insight.

But this is part two of the chapter. Sorry if you thought the previous chapter was focusing on Kuwabara. Deceiving, was it not?

Now, guess who The Count is… Can you tell me? Can you tell me?

Well, I want to thank Saya and KM17 for their constant reviews. I appreciate it SO much, I do!

I hope I'm not boring anyone.


	43. Ch6 p1

Disclaimer: YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

Author's Note: Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

Genre: Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

Rating: Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**DISSIDENTS CREED**

**Part One**

**[The Army]**

_"But mankind has taken a turn for the worst. They have become wicked, selfish creatures…_

_They create devises to destroy one another, and foolishly warring over politics and religion. Every day, millions of people go hungry and die from starvation. All over the world, millions of people are destitute, forced to live on the streets and search for scraps in left over garbage. Every day, a child is bullied at school and ends up committing suicide. Homicide and suicidal rates have sky rocketed over this past decade, not to mention that the crime rate has shot through the roof. Parental figures have no time for their children, children no longer have mothers or their fathers, and abortion rates… I will not tread there with you, gentlemen._

_The point is, their world, with all of its developing societies, has become a unit of numbers. No life holds any value any longer…_

_For their crimes, I had unleashed my sons upon the world... My Wrath, my Envy, my Lust, my Gluttony, my Sloth, my Pride, and my Greed. But apparently, that was not enough. Not that we can seriously blame the human race, because ever since those traitors have taken over, the worlds have been crumbling away…_

_And thanks to them, the worlds view us as though we are the enemy. The sole reason behind all this suffering. But what people fail to see, what most people are unaware of, is that what one sows…they shall receive again three times in plenty!_

_People fail to learn, and when they fail to learn, they cease to grow._

_Ignorance and hatred has taken over. Back in my time, when I reigned, the worlds were undivided…serving as a whole. Now, everything has become disproportionate and imbalanced…_

_And in the meantime, demons are impersonating as gods to humans._

_Spirit World feeds the demons false hopes and dreams of freedom, nourishing their minds with an illusion of having a redeemer to save them all from their debts… But in the end, those in Spirit World intend to destroy all of demon kind that they find not suitable or are found to be unworthy of existence; a series of operations that is commencing at the elimination of carnivorous entities._

_For eons, Spirit World has kept everyone in the dark, draping a wet blanket over their heads._

_And now, I have no choice but to send my child…my own flesh and blood…and her consort to drag this world into the very pits of Hell, enwrapping them all in the clouds of sweetest oblivion, and drink in the pouring of my fury._

_The Moonchild will come to harm, with a riot of stars shaken from their station… Only she, that Seraphim bride, the blood of my pride who will live again, shall be avenged with swift reprise and piss on their gloating parade. It is she, who will tear the world down upon crashing their knees, burning it all into an innumerable amount of cinders…_

_…And they will mourn with anguish, tormented by their own transgressions, from the games my children have taught them…and from the realization that their savior has failed them, that their chosen god has failed them…_

_Their hero is nothing more than a pick from the litter, of the trash that has polluted these worlds._

_Then, when that time has come, they will understand fully what darkness truly is!"_

-The Count; His address to His people

_**oOo**_

_"Quickly, let us take our conversation elsewhere."_

The Count ruled, tucking the envelope inside the folds of his jacket; which served as a secret pocket that held contents of such precise size.

He took his cane and tapped base of it upon the floor before him. A subtle yet strong amount of energy burst forth from his being and a circle formed around them…

And in a matter of seconds, a portal opened and they drifted gracefully down to the world below.

There are only three beings in all existence that are able to perform alchemy and magick without the use of symbols or a transmutation circle, Him being one of them. All of the rest of the Devils had to draw or make the symbols in order to harness such powers. Full blooded demons are not able to perform alchemy, but they can perform magic

However, humans can learn to use both alchemy and magick; like societies such as The Free Masons, for an example, which operates both in The United States and in The United Kingdom…

[_The Free Masons were a people from all walks of life, joined together in secrecy, and working together for the benefit of all human kind. They all lived doubled lives._]

…Putting the meaning behind the belief of the world's major religions; "and we are a little below the angels"…

But unlike Devils, humans use of magick and alchemy were often corrupted, some using such powers for self-seeking purposes…

…Going so far to committing human and animal experimentations…

[_The main purpose of The Count's "Seven Deadliest Sins" were to find such tainted hearts, souls that crave power at any cost; awakening their wretchedness, making much use of them until the day the world sees them for who or what they really are… Only then to put a bitter end to their horrid existence._]

…Which often served as a major dilemma, for Spirit World was incorporating such humans into their armies. Because they so desperately wanted to achieve that "perfect world", under the notion or misconception that such dreams can be achieved, they've undermined free will and are determined to control…

That is why they made sure that only the energy of their own kind can open the gateways.

Nevertheless, they were on guard for traitors, vampires who have been hired by Spirit World for the soul purpose of bringing "The Order of The Dragon" crashing down.

Those of The Order of The Dragon were often referred to as "serpents"; being falsely accused as being "the lawless ones". And the supposed "antichrist" is a star, not a demon; that much is true.

Man lives in the sunlit world in which he believes is reality, but there is, unseen by most, an underworld; a place that is just as real, but not as brightly lit…

…An abysmal world of shadows filled with much madness as there was sorrow and despair, the caliginosity in its air was thick; misty, dim and dark…

The World Without Logos or "The World Without Reason" is what it was called. A shadow realm in which the nameless dead and other apparitions roamed, either lost or too fearful to cross over…knowing what awaits them.

…And demons of this age dare not tread there, even if someone opened the way for them to…

Full blooded Devils could cross freely from this dimension and enter into this forsaken realm, their realm…in which most of their kind conceal themselves, hidden within the elements.

But here in The Underground, they and their children all could live freely.

Sensui studied his surroundings, his wandering eye gorging upon the scene as it unfolded…

This underground city was one of old world and modernized tech mended together, and yet, this place bared the personality way of a military facility or base.

…The atmosphere here was a satin-cool midnight blue, being that there was very little light, with lanterns and candles to guide the way…

[_Their water, draining and sewage system is incorporated into the rest of society that lives above them._ _Their city had electricity, but their kind didn't require light to see, not even to read._]

By receiving the announcement that their King has arrived, they've all gathered to stand by the pathways, dressed in clad from uniform to casual. And all stood in proper stance, saluting, both tall and small.

Their eyes shined in the dark, most with a soft silvery, whitish-blue glow; like the stars that one sees twinkling in the distance firmament above planet earth.

…The most common trait amongst their kind…

In fact, Sensui's eyes bared the same exact characteristic. And like all the other Stars of his kind, when powering up, his eyes blazed in a golden, yellow hue.

However, The Count's eyes burned the brightest amongst them all. His orbs burned like the light from the sun, which, by the way, actually produces a white light rather than a yellow or orange; it appeared as such because of the reflection of light brought by chemicals and atoms in the earth's atmosphere.

Their kind thrive here in this darkness, for in the light of day their powers were strained. They were at their weakest when the sun was up and at their peak in power from midnight on through the witching hour. But this did not mean that they were completely powerless, only that they were not at complete sufficiency…

…A star shines brightest in the night, its light for all to see…

However, daylight had no effect upon The Chosen One, because her power out-shined them all, since she was originally born of the sun and the moon.

But the most important factor of all of this, was that The Count had prepared an army of warriors, soldiers to stand by his child and fight for him. It was a project that had taken years to build, but he did all he could, refusing to lose this time. And most importantly, his son won't be so alone to fight this war, for his son will have his own defense force.

…But the fleets were not just of Devils and vampires, for some of the humans and demons had wised up and thus decided to serve in any way possible…

Along the way of their travel towards the palace in the distance…

The Count's highest officials appeared beside them, in fact, almost immediately, first manifesting in the form of black fog in the mist that blanketed this city.

"Good evening, Ambassador Drosselmeyer." The Count greeted; addressing the pointy eared gentleman with pale skin, dark almost ebony green hair, and green, viridian eyes.

"Eventide to you, too, my Lord." He greeted in return with a smile, all the while bowing before him in the most debonair manner.

The others followed suit, respectfully kneeling before His Grace.

In tern, The Count addressed each and every one of them; "Likewise to you, too, Lords Voltaire, Khalil, Verdugo, Thanos, Don'Jackimo, Rumeral, Dikul, Gomez, Hwang, and Figaro."

...These were not their true names, but names that they had acquired by living in Human World...

The Ambassador, also known as Number Three, was part of "Mystery Eleven". However, unlike the remaining ten, he was not a militia lord; meaning he did not govern hordes of soldiers, which are called squadrons.

[_Note: The Ambassador had been given such an odd number by his own choice, to suit the purpose of confusing his opponents._]

Each of these "lords" possessed numerous squadrons, varying in number of fleets from each peer of the realm to the next. But over each of those squadrons was a captain, and over each captain were Authorities.

The members of "Mystery Eleven" were all Seraphim. The rest of the Seraphim, of course, were that of:

…Their God, their King, and their Lord…

…His Highest's son, who was their Sovereign Prince; or Princess to be more accurate…

…And, finally, The Dark One; The Son of Naraku…

Now, the captains are Archangels.

The Cherubim served as messengers, guardians, and soldiers. So did the Ophanim, Thrones, and Wheels.

Virtues, Dominions, and Principalities filled in the rest; who were also referred to as being The Authorities. The Devils served many purposes, but none greater than being the watch dogs of all creation.

Virtues ruled over what was right and wrong; taking account all the deeds of the worlds. Principalities are responsible for territories. Dominions were the highest rank amongst the three of them. The Seraphim were the closest to The Highest, solely serving in his court. And all four of these ranks are deities.

…Of course there are demon gods, but most today are perpetrating impersonators. And Narakumaru, the dragon who can destroy all life with his cloud of destruction, is the god over all of them; just as his father was.

He was brutal, killing with a near artistic-flare; raw yet eloquent; simultaneously bloody, and yet, honorable; horrifying but captivating. He was not just filled with rage, but anguish as well; his ability to drop all sense of moral decency and humanity at the drop of a pin was as astounding as it was terrible.

And with his bride back in his clutches, reunited once again, these traitors no longer hold any power over him… He was unstoppable.

**…TBC…**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Comments:**

Sorry for the wait. And sorry for making this chapter so small.

I decided to make this a new chapter. And as it says, there will be a part two.

I am glad to know that some of my readers are not bored. I'm sorry for the lack of action, but like all stories, we have to have a background. A body. I am hoping that everything is making sense.

I am sorry if anything is being repeated. I am also putting in other people's point of views, so that you will understand why.

I want to thank both KM17 and Saya for reviewing. And yes, Saya, you hit the nail right on the head with that answer.


	44. Ch6 p2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**DISSIDENTS CREED**

**[The Situation, The Past, and His Destiny]**

**Part Two**

_"I see the serpentine in your eyes_  
_The nature of the beast as revelations arrive"_

-Cradle of Filth; "From the Cradle to Enslave"

**oOo**

The Underground was a barren land, no greenery whatsoever, only pristine, colorless desert-like sands. The dunes that stood in the distance from the city glistened like mounds of sugar within an incredibly large bowel.

The moon here was not real, nor was the firmament. Nevertheless, the moon's reflection shined and reflected light upon the world below it. The very purpose of the moon here was to inform the dwellers of time so as to stay connected with those who lived upon the surface; serving as a clock.

There was no day, only night here. Their children were creatures of the night.

…Most vampires cannot bare to be in the direct light of the sun, not only because it made them weaker, the sunlight draining them of their strength, but also because it burned their flesh and boiled their blood. However, some could stand to be in the light of the day; a trait that gave them the name: "Day Walkers". On the negative side, these vampires were still rather weak, not at full power, at those hours...

As ludicrous as it may sound, it was a matter of star shine, ancestry, and blood type.

The palace was constructed from white marble and diamond, built not by tools but solely with the use of alchemy. However, the interior was decorated with elaborate designs and décor, with rich colors, mostly of reds and gold.

After they having searched the room and double checked to see that the close was clear, that no one was watching or listening in…

They seated themselves at a round table in the conference room, all thirteen of them; simpering as they prepared themselves to be of proper character, sitting upright and tidying their wardrobes before getting to business as the crow flies.

The table was superbly crafted from oak, just as the cushioned chairs were. The wood was garnished with an impeccable designs, of lions, roses, and peacocks carved, and a smooth and polished marble top. Above them hung a glorious chandelier made of brass, with candlelight illuminating the room within its crystal cases rather than the use of electric glass bulbs. Upon the walls hanged tapestries, woven works of art with backs that were made of pure silk and embellished with jewels, and beaded tassels.

In the room, were numeral pillar-like stands that stood five feet in height, and upon the tops of those pillars were important jars with symbols that sealed them closed. One jar was the most significant, for the contents inside…were terrible. Literally, it was "The Pandora's Box"…but it was not a actual box, unlike it had been told in the legends. Fortunately, only one person can open it, the one who had created the bloody thing.

The Count's back faced stained glassed windows of gargantuan size, which were for decorative purposes and foretold a story rather than to permit anyone to peer outside.

Over all, the room had a gothic cathedral-like yet imperial quality.

The Count was now as pale as death, as were his court. No longer was his cheeks rosy, drained of all color in his complexion; appearing whiter than a bloodless corpse.

The god in flesh was a vampire, as the rest of his kind was.

And he had four tiny faeries fluttering about him, two hovering above each shoulder; serving as his little assistances, or more likely, they kept him "company". They had wings like dragonflies, and though they were nude they were completely genderless with no genitalia whatsoever.

They were fickle little things, and despite their often positive temperaments, they tended to bite those whom they didn't trust and did not like demons in the least; and no, they don't grant wishes. But the most worrisome were the Tooth Faeries, who do NOT exchange change for teeth, but eat the teeth and bone right out of your body.

[_If you think that is something… Narakumaru had goblins, orcs, gremlins, and brownies, let alone more than worthy demons who served him._

_The faeries belonged to The Heir, given to her by her lover as a gift. Narakumaru can make beautiful things, too, you know._

_And it was through the use of a certain breed of faeries, which sprinkle a special dust given unto them by her from their pouches, that she delivered sleep to the world at night._]

"Speak, my noble friend." He spoke breathily as he listlessly gestured, eloquently giving Sensui the signal to "proceed". His astonishing voice was not only hoarse but utterly bass; like a brooding, haunting melody dripped in doom.

He sounded like an actual classic vampire, the kind you see in the media... In fact, he possessed a voice that was more "demonic" than any demon could manage or dream to sound.

[_As told by legend... The first vampires, the children of The Devils, originated from The Carpathian Mountains; mainly because it was once by far the easiest of feeding grounds in the past. Apparently, the Count, as a God, must have "hung out" around Hungary and Romania a lot._.. _Because his accent didn't sound one tiny bit like German or English, or Irish for that matter, once out of his "human" form._]

Sensui sat directly opposite of him.

"My Lord…" He spoke, his voice hitching as he inhaled a deep breath. "Your Eternal Grace, I have completed phase two of the mission."

Now that his body was dead, as it had been for over seven years, he had to learn how to function himself properly. He no longer needed to breathe, to acquire air as all humans and demons do, but in order for him to speak he had to collect air into the passages that lead to his throat. Also, though he was dead and his heart did not beat, his body did not decay and neither did rigor mortises settle in his corpse… No, his spirit kept it somewhat alive, alive enough that if he wished to reproduce he could. But in spite of this, his human soul was no more. And he could not eat, as humans do, and those human-like cravings had faded away in time.

"Excellent!" Was the Count's response, exuberated to hear such news. "…Do carry on by proceeding with 'his status' report, thank you very much."

The others listened in closely, their ears itching to hear every detail…

A thin smile graced Sensui's countenance as he began to give an account of The Heir's progress; "He has grown well, maturing rather nicely if I may say so myself. His hair is definitely much longer…"

Seth had such gorgeous orange hair, with strands of golden highlights, touches of vermillion, and strawberry blond curled tips. The way his hair flared and curled possessed an appearance of flames. His pale skin was like the moon, and his outer cheeks seemed to be brushed with antique gold, while around his eyes were the hues of gold, copper, and a reddish rust. His optical orbs, distinctive in shape, were not shallow, large and yawning; like those common innocent doll's eyes. No, they were deep, willowy, and arcane. His orbs were a kaleidoscope of crimson, gold, diamonds, and marmalade, with the sun caught in his eyes. When enraged, his orpiment eyes burned as fires from Hell, but when the man was at true peace or serenity, these orbs transformed into blue hues; as blue as the sky upon earth. And his angular features had softened; appearing more heart-shaped, though still retaining those lovely high cheekbones.

He had been watching him, studying him…

This Child of The Eclipse, who is associated with a star in the constellations, Sirius; The Dogstar, also commonly known as The Black Sun. Hard to believe, but he was the ever awaited Bird of Hermes, the one who will break the day and make night be eternal.

Melancholy tunes of cruelty rupture in a violent overture, wafting in the licking carnivorous winds, and like a siren weaving songs, tearing out spells, letters written in red cells… This Seraphim in bondage, diademed, and souled with the murder of ravens, and whose eyes burned hotter than hell flame…

This Shadow Sun, who brings the blackest rains of justice, showering down from the clouds of darkness.

[_It was not hard to see, that this was every Satanists' dream, the wettest fantasies of every morbid Goth in existence, and the inspiration of every appalled occult known to man._

_In truth, the Karma Beasts were the Arian race that Hitler himself sought after; which really has nothing to do with the color of one's skin, but his sorces of the "Master Race" came from the book called "The Coming Race". To be frank, to narrow it down much further... Karama Beasts, or Devils, are "extraterrestrials". _

_…For their services, they were to be spared, to live freely, to be the last to parish, and live to see the beginning of the New World…_

_But all of this, the reason behind this war, was not a matter of religion or beliefs; although, beliefs had stemmed from this mess._

_…The truth is: Status. Personal history. Birth. Race. Gender and name... None of those are necessary…_

_And their intentions were not to eliminate the human race, but to destroy the problem and those who were a part of it._

_The view of good and evil is a distorted image. Demons are not the only ones who commit evil, for humans are capable of the same or much worst kind of cruelty._

_This was more than just a war, this was a murder case and a trial to unleash judgment upon the traitors who had committed these heinous crimes. This had been going on for years, however, the closest that they had been to solving this tragedy had been over nine-hundred years ago… Starting when her father had finally found her spirit._]

Sensui had been observing his development, with the attention span of a hawk…

…And had even far gone as to dig into the lad's past to uncover any hidden information that concerned the matters of how he had been taken care of…

In comparison: The Count was a suave yet caring man, with the ability to express myself fully and correctly; unlike the psychic, whose thoughts were once more triumphant than the words that come out of his mouth… But all that has changed over the course of years…

Just as his appearance has. In fact, over the years, countless numbers of individuals had referred to him as being "the ugly one" and had treated him as dirt, especially the demons. However, what they did not know, or at least even consider, is the analogy of "the ugly duckling": In such a story, the "ugly", dim-witted, and shamefully awkward duckling becomes the beautiful, knowledgeable and graceful swan; the creature of everyone's lust and envy.

However, just as in their pasts, his "friends" had all but forgotten him and had thrown him to the wolves; the demons of their kind both figuratively and literally spat upon him. They had taken everything from him, stripped him of his happiness and honor, degraded his name, and betrayed him most heinously. He was worthless in their eyes, only there to make them look and feel better about themselves, while the rest of the world viewed him to be but a troublesome pebble in their shoes. He wanted nothing more than love, to experience what love was and what it had to offer; something he never experience in his childhood, and being a hopeless romantic, he dreamed of fairytales. But alas, he was left alone, confused and abandoned, with nothing but the tears that stained his cheeks, until the day he no longer had any tears left to give.

...They didn't want him anymore...

And as a result, after having bared their unkind words and having dealt him damage, receiving blows beneath his belt... He saw the flaws within himself; the ones they had pointed out and made a spectacle of in front of the worlds. He became the never ending joke. In movies, in video games, everything that he had "the honor" to be featured in. Everyone loved "the ardent hero".

Do you honestly believe they had captured everything he was? Do you honestly think they even considered in giving the truth about him, let alone his back-story? Think again! They absolutely did not! Their story began in a picture book, drawn by the finest artist available, which was then made into a live, action television show. The man who played his part favored him, but nevertheless, it was not him. They made an absolute mockery of him for the most part, incorporating only bits and pieces of his true character.

"_…Never be strong enough…never be good enough…never rise above…_" is what they jeered, not once withholding their sneers at the psychic. "_…Nothing more than a lousy human…a waste of valuable space…_"

[_They were nothing more than scum of the earth, every last one of them… And none of them knew that they were messing with "The Devil Himself", literally! And yet, Yusuke held the pomposity to parade around as though he were "The One", impishly grinning from ear to ear whenever he took such compliments from those who feared him._

_If people bothered to read nowadays, they'd know that The Devil does not have dark hair, but a RED main… LIKE FIRE; in other words, the color is ORANGE and the texture is not straight but "wavy" to "curly"._

_He wasn't called "the redheaded one" for nothing, let alone "the one with twelve wings"!_

_…Did Yusuke fit any of these descriptions? The answer is a BIG FAT "NO"!_

_...But that was not withstanding the fact that the name "Mazoku" loosely means "Tribe of Evil". HOWEVER, there was a much more darker reason why Yusuke's ancestors were deemed as such..._

_"Overlord of Evil, my foot!" Sensui thought aside to himself, grudgingly. He was once pleased to be defeated by a demon, only to learn later on that it had not been Yusuke who had beaten him. It had been Yusuke's ancestral father, who had worked through him. Please note, Sensui was no telepath or some all knowing psychic in his human life time._

_And yet artists made portraits of him, giving him raven, and sometimes blonde, hair. It was utterly blasphemous! A total, complete outrage!_

_Hell, that is where the prejudice and phobia of redheads over the centuries had gained its roots from, especially when it came to "carrot tops" and ginger haired beings._]

…But unknown to everyone, everyone, that is, besides the Stars… It was Narakumaru who had lended a hand in breaking the first seal, and it was he who was to break the curse that concealed Kuwabara's true beauty with an "unsightly" or homely outward appearance…

…Part of it had already been broken…

…It was a spell that his own mother had hurled upon him, the very woman who had birthed him into this world. But this enchantment was one in which suited the purpose of concealing his identity, explicitly, until he at last meets his soul mate, face to face, in his own time at the proper age of maturity…

…Being a woman of unconditional love, she could not allow… No, not even bare the thought of her beloved child ending up with one whom did not love him more than she…

[_She resulted to the use of magick more so than the use of alchemy. His mother had been a witch, a gypsy, and was once a priestess belonging to a clan._]

…His demon teammates and their friends had been much too shallow to see what lied behind the mask, making the mistake of judging a book by its cover…

The psychic now seemed threatening, intimidating with his power, enigmatic charm, and beauty. He had grown into a marvel, exotic and captivating in his own unique way. His unyielding eyes possessed a power, provoking arousal and apprehension, and whenever he slowly narrowed them, he appeared all the more dangerous, catlike, and as though he could steal your very soul by just looking at you. Unwonted, it could go to your head, taking you onto an imaginary trip; like taking a potion made of absinth and LSD. (A trait he must have inherited from his mother, who was all the more renowned as a Goddess of Love and femininity.)

And Sensui told them all of this, in his own words… But of course, he made sure to leave a few things out of the topic.

"That's splendid to hear!" Applauded a deep yet soothing male voice; it was as tranquil as waltzing on a bottomless black pond of freezing water.

Sensui's eyes slid over to the one responsible.

It had been Drosselmeyer, grinning from ear to ear as he clapped his hands together rather subtly. His star-twin, Cornelius Don'Jackimo, who sat to the left of him and was Number Two of The Eleven, gave him a compassionate but gentle pat on the back.

Number Three was quite the eccentric fellow, usually beheld as the merry type. But to the contrary, concerning his nature, he was the emissary of sorrow and despair…

...

_"Slowly ran water down to fill you_

_Slowly turns tide for us to weep_

_For this I was given birth_

_For this I was given name_

_Slowly ran water down to reap"_

…Quoted from the song that suited him best.

...

"Yes, indeed. It is, Arion." commended the Count to Number Three.

Number Three, like the rest of his brothers of The Court, had narrow eyes; which twinkled when receiving his King's praise.

"My Lord, I have a few questions in mind…" Sensui confronted hesitantly. "Just to be sure…"

And he wanted to be precisely sure that the psychic was the one they had been looking for.

On the other hand…

Silently, a part of him hoped it was not true, that Kazuma was no different than he when it came to concerning species; for he was a mere Cherubim.

Nevertheless, that considered wretched yet wise and powerful corpse, the Devil who was once renowned as the great and terrible human "Rasputin", assured him that Kuwabara was indeed "The One". Crowley and Lovecraft, those two vampires, assured him the very same thing…

...

_"Oh, yes he is!" Crowley had said assuredly. "…And don't you trespass there with me, good sir! I call them as I see them! He is all that you see, all that you want him to be."_

[_Calls them as he sees them? This was coming from the man who's work was as baffling as it was mind-numbing! But at least he wasn't consistently as dark and pessimistic as Lovecraft was; the man harped on about doom like a broken record._]

...

It wasn't his intentions to mislead the boy, he merely wanted to extend the invitation. Whether it was true or not that he had regretted hurting him, only he could say. But it had caused him to toss and turn from a nightmare that was bad as can be.

It all began with a subtle yet fatal attraction, and as appalling as it seemed, he committed the heinous act of pedophilia. And it haunted him, smiting his mind with tales of unfortunate terror.

However, he had not intended in falling in love with the lad along the way. He was in love with the lad, as he had once been in love with Koenma.

Remarkably, Itzuki had accepted it, though their interactions being incredibly stilted as of late…

…But Narakumaru cherished the lad, loved him beyond anyone's comprehension; so much so that when he had lost his mate for the second time, he had slipped into utter madness and unleashed his fury upon the entire human race and every demon…

…And for a time, that dark knight had robbed them all of their happiness, and in turn introduced what fear truly was…

…He was a dangerous mad man, who…was utterly mad…

…A monster…

…But nonetheless, a dark armored knight…

How was he to compete with THAT?

Especially since The Dark Lord was more romantically inclined than anyone else that Kazuma knew. In fact, the two fitted together perfectly well, with both their contrasts and their similarities; like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. The two had much in common, but not too much that their relationship would ever become dull because their personalities were polar opposites from one another.

"Do no fret, for if he truly is my son…" The Count began to enlighten, knowing full well what the question Sensui had in mind. "It's only a matter of time before his greed will surface, just as his envy has. He won't be able to refuse my offers, nor will he permit anything to cease him from excelling, from reaching The Top. His pride will assure him that he will lead to higher places…

"You must understand…" He told, resting his left cheek upon the knuckles and the base segments of his left phalanxes; his elbow now quiescent against the tabletop. "Greed doesn't let go of what was once his, not to mention how possessive he is over his belongings. Why else would he be sore against the koorime and the Mazoku for their betrayal? It's all a matter of realization for him, that, deep down, he knows…he can never obtain them, nor did he ever possess them to begin with. Simply put, they are like mongrels, dogs that bit the hand that fed them…

"Avarice will crave everything, I assure you, even that which was once in the past. It is that part of him, after all, that mourns the loss of his humans…" The Count paused for a moment, sighing to himself as an old recollection visited him. "I remember it as though it were yesterday, when my daughter always wanted humans to call her own. …Such a sad memory, when one comes to think about it… Because it was that part of her that allows him to be so foolish. He must learn, nonetheless, to harness this nature and use it for the better of himself…

"But how do we know that he is truly she? Does he not have my eyes? Or my hair? Is he not the very picture of his father, he who once was the fruit of my loins?" He sat up straight, his back now pressing against the plush cushion behind him in his chair. "He is not born of this world, not formerly… His essence… It speaks to me, crying out to me like a lost child that longs for the warm embrace of its father. He possesses the very same spirit signature as my daughter's. That is how I know for sure that he is her, without any shred of doubt…

"I know my child, Sensui." The Count stated firmly, his eyes flashing as his lips cracked open a grin.

This privileged messenger noted this, and noted it well. Surely this man was Kazuma's father, since his smile was precisely the same as the psychic's; bearing the same characteristics, including the type or shape of teeth. To be honest, his smile was as charming as it was fear-provoking.

And he obviously enjoyed talking, much like a certain orange haired psychic did.

…And as the Count spoke, hearing his voice was like a number of cellos, a violin, and an upright bass string instrument playing leisurely in an orchestra...Romani style…

"Nevertheless," The Count continued, tracing circles upon the table with his index finger. "YOU will know when he gains the features of his true form. He is a bird, yes." He eloquently gestured, putting on show with his hands which he used in a puppet-like manner. "As of right now, he is a bird who's feathers have been plucked, his wings clipped. Though, likewise, he is also a fierce tiger, a mighty lion. The cat whose prowess and cunning gets the better hand of his opponents, and yet, always prowling in wait, ready to drive out and ravish his enemies…

"Once he's able to summon his ultimate shield, channeled through his divine energy, YOU will know all the more." The Count stated, pointing directly at him. "His spirit armor caries the symbolisms of death and decay. His outer layer of skin will appear to be made of gold and bronze, but not even diamonds could lay a scratch upon him… Nor will anything manage to make so much as a dent…" He let out a deep chuckle, tapping the middle knuckle of his middle finger against the marble surface. "As for his mask… Think of a demonized face of a jester with the attributes of a cat, and yet, death never looked so terribly frightening to a mortal."

The Count then opened his jacket and retrieved a book from out of its inner right pocket.

"Here, take this." He said, delivering the book into Sensui's hands by using his telekinetic abilities with the littlest of concentration. "Bring this notebook to The Prince, but give it only to him when you know the time is right… And be sure that it doesn't fall into anyone else's hands, or else the consequences will end disasterous."

The book was very was old, ancient, the leather casing tattered and worn, with encryptions that were hard to decipher by the human eye. Nevertheless, once it was in his hands, Sensui could see that it was put together quite well, being that it had survived after all this time.

"Do not read it." The Count forewarned. "No, not even glance upon the writing within its contents, your very life depends upon it. For if you do, you will surely be destroyed."

Sensui's eyes slightly bulged when hearing that. He never heard of a book being so life threatening or detrimental before, that is, until now.

"The book is protected by magic," The Count made clear. "Because it is a magical book, but only one person can read it. If anyone else were to read it, their souls will be sucked from out of their bodies and be kept inside as one of the many illustrations within... Its not much different from the compass that Izanami had delivered to him. Those items do not work for anyone else BUT him. I went through an inconceivably large amount of trouble to get to obtain certain objects, including that book, back from Spirit World's filthy, dastardly clutches. Do not fail me by allowing them to possess it again."

_"So, those in Spirit World know about the book…"_ Sensui mused._ "Apparently, they were keeping a lot of things secret. This item is just another to add upon their lists. How…disappointing."_

"He knows who he is, or better yet, WHAT he is... But he refuses to accept it." spoke the Count. "When he fell, he became almost human… And through time, has developed a human soul. But that soul is at a constant unrest…and likewise, so is his human body. Because we are in Human World, we must feed to sustain ourselves. And if we remain here, we are damned to remain in search for blood. That is the nature of The Vampire. His destiny is to become… The King of All Creatures of the night, The King of The Night, as it has always been. One cannot fight destiny. And technically speaking, he is to be 'The No Life King'... Or the title that is all the more common amongst the mortals: 'The Antichrist'. And in order for him to permanently defeat King Yama, he must know this... He must first know who he is, before the rest can surely follow. He is the last hope that anyone has left. His destiny is to destroy the world that had been selfishly created by they."

The Devils all sat in silence at this, knowing more than anyone else what was truth and what was a lie.

Indeed, Koenma tried to defeat King Yama, and had succeeded the first time; having exposed his father for who he truly was... But now everything...had turned for the worst, and no one but they, The Devils, knew the truth any longer.

King Yama had a backup plan and had activated it almost immediately, even whilst being imprisoned in that cell.

He refused to lose, so that you know, and was willing to do anything to secure his place back in power, even so much as to dare play the other demon deities... In fact, he wanted to be The Highest, the Top Dog in control. And as far as he was concern, those who were under his power were nothing more than meat puppets, tools to achieve his ends; this included his own son. He had been doing so for countless of eons and had been caught red-handed only once... But even then, that did not even stop him, nor did it put a solid end to his tyranny.

But unfortunately for him, The Devils refused to lose as well. And they had their savior, just as he claimed to have his.

By this time, one of the maids had came in with a cart, pushing it around the table, delivering to the men a specific liquid source of nourishment. The men quietly thanked her as she came around, pouring a fresh tea-cup each time before setting one before each man.

Her name was Laura, friend of Carmilla.

She wasn't a dainty woman, though she was small, and with her that possessed the strength of a tank, she could most certainly fight. She had wavy blonde hair and blue eyes.

Once her task was complete, after delivering a cup of fresh blood to every person, she daintily curtsied; bending her upper body forward, though only lightly, with her hands tugging at the sides of the dress that flowed past her knees in length. She then left the room, with another maid who held open the door for her as she returned to post with the cart.

…They were short in one hand, of needing a butler.

And after she had left, The Devils carried on with business…

"Sire," Number Five spoke, his voice deep and his Russian accent thick. "Pardon me for asking, but what about The Special Defense Force? I fear that their meddling may do more harm than good."

His human surname was Dukil. His hair was a light, dishwater blonde, and his eyes were a blue silver. Now, this tall, strong man was usually the silent type, only speaking whenever he had something critical or important to say. He never smiled, his lips did not even curl a smidge upon his long, strong, masculine structured countenance; always straight-faced, he was. And his accent he had acquired over the eons, due to most of his commissions being in none other than the U.S.S.R. territory.

"Yes, they have been quadrupling their forces as of late…" The Count affirmed, all the while compromising their situation. "And behind their Elite, a greater threat is rising…"

And indeed there was. For there was an even greater line of men behind Spirit World's "elite", soldiers who were ultimately "the cream of the crop", and were saved for this precise occasion. Know this, that the "elite" that Yusuke had the privilege to see, were merely the cover ups for something much dire and threatening…

"…It's only in a matter of time…before they show themselves…"

Soldiers who were not human, nor devil or demon. They were monsters in humanoid form, appearing human with powers beyond mortal comprehension. Creatures more powerful than any demon, and whose existence was brought by experimentations. They were chauvinistic creatures, and yet, nothing short of being clinically insane and utterly, criminally fanatic when it came to their line of work, for their commitment was excessive…

…They were the very ones responsible, whose hands had dispelled them from out of the Heavens.

"In time, the Special Defense Force will be dealt with… For they, too, must bear the consequence of their actions." The Count stated, assuring his men. "Besides, I am sure The Dark Lord will take care of them." He paused for a moment, taking a small sip of blood from his cup. "They are the least of our worries for the time being… But, nevertheless, be wary my servant and remind yourself that we have traitors amongst us in this world. The Vampires who foolishly serve our enemies, the ones who would sell themselves to believe that they are on the side of the victorious party…

"But my child will assure them otherwise." He said, conveying his words with much sentiment, expressing with feelings of incredible love and pride. "After all, she was such an inquisitive one when it came to the sense of each individual, particularly the spines of each and every individual. And she has never been the type to endure complaints, unlike most who's ears don't flinch or have the slightest itch when it comes to matters such as that. She doesn't turn her head the other way, nor does she have the capacity to hear only what she wishes to…"

He then looked to Sensui. "She may be a vessel of light, but she was never destined to live in any but her own. The night beckons her, calling to her spirit. This is going to be their last chance, but their excuses are becoming useless…while their lies are coming out of the wash, needing to be hung out to dry."

In turn, Sensui nodded. His eyes wide with amazement, that another one of his questions had been answered without his asking. Even Kazuya was rendered speechless, and that violent foul-mouthed personality never runs out of words.

These Devils were picking up his questions, plucking away inquiries as though they were physically hovering in the air above them.

As for Minoru, he was sucking all of this in and, figuratively speaking, taking notes.

_"So… He can't turn his head away from any circumstance…"_ Minoru jotted down in his memory. _"…Which explains why he is insistent upon helping the needy and why he fails to ignore the peanut gallery… Interesting…"_

Sensui sat there quietly, gingerly sipping on the blood.

"Sir, what about the humans? The ones who have made an accord?" inquired Number Four, the one known as Voltaire. "Surely, they may have a say in the affairs concerning with the Heir, yes?"

He had short ebony hair, a neatly trimmed yet "devilish" goatee, fuchsia eyes, and of all things he spoke with a French brogue. Unlike Number Two, he did not associate anywhere near a "bayou"; particularly the one in North America's "Big Easy", or anywhere else in The Americas…like New Jersey, for instance. That region is where Number Two catered to. Moreover, Voltaire dealt with affairs concerning contracts and "deals" that had been settled.

"Their guardianship has come to an end, Beelzebub." The Count answered, using one of Number Four's old names. "In fact, I never intended for my son to leave this land, but at that time…considering the circumstances, it was for the best. Nevertheless, I regret ever having permitted his leave, for if he had remained here that atrocity would have never occurred."

After having been placed with the Kuwabara Clan, the heir's talents and capabilities were put to waste. Unlike most heirs to clans, the heir was kept in the dark, and pushed aside as though he was utterly useless.

Their daughter, his mother, had disgraced them; that is, she had brought shame upon her clan by abandoning her posts, having a sexual relationship outside of marriage, and most importantly…practicing witchcraft. For this, they shunned her.

With the right training, he could vanquish demons, easily reduce them all to zilch… Nevertheless, in their eyes, he was nothing more than a "bastard child", an abomination. And being that they are a people of honor, they'd rather their clan die out than to grant him his rights and assume himself as The Head.

The Heir had both of his parents powers, plus those of his own…

_He had five known types of swords, excluding the trial sword:_

_One: His Spirit Sword, or "Rei Ken", was once his signature attack; where he creates a sword made of his Spirit Energy and its strength depends on how much energy Kuwabara uses._

_Two: Spirit Sword Javelin, "Nobiro, Rei Ken"; a sword in which its power seems to be derived from a form of materialization, the act of manifesting his energy into the shape of an object._

_Three: Double Spirit Sword, "Rei Ken Nitōryū"; a technique where he can materialize two swords at once, one for each hand._

_Four: His "Rei Shuriken", or Spirit Sword Shards. After producing small bolts of energy from his hands, he can unleash smaller spirit blades at his opponents. This technique is similar to the Spirit Shotgun, only this multiple projectile attack is like flying shards of glass, or better yet, daggers rather than energy that is released in the size of pounding bullets._

_Five: His "Jigen To", or Dimension Sword; An enhanced version of his Spirit Sword that enables him to literally cut through dimensional barriers and psychic territory._

_And it was his "Jigen To" that was the underlining evidence that his swords were the earliest manifestations of his scythe. A sickle with two blades at one end, appearing almost like a crescent. The way his swords bended, how he could manipulate their forms and control their power, was the sole capability of a scythe._

_However, he has more abilities than this. More weapons than swords and a scythe…_

_Here's an important factor: Cats have claws…_

_And he had MANY, Sensui knew and had seen._

_From his finger trips, his fingers could extend into sharp spike-like daggers; nine inched nails to be precise in their measurements…_

_…There is the ability to manifest blades from the his base knuckles, an attack often used for close encounters…_

_…And then there was another, a more dangerous weapon designed by his psychic powers, where his own energy can form and shape into sinister hands; demonic appendages created by both psychic and spiritual energy. This attack is known as "Geigeki Sasu Akki", which translates into "Demon Striking-Reaching Hands Ambush Attack". And they are usually invisible to the naked eye, unseen by most. They can either take a firm hold upon a target, rip them apart, or slice them into pieces._

The latter attack, however, Sensui had only heard of. That, and the fact that the psychic has yet to learn how to yield his blades other than by using them in their energy forms.

_Oh, but there was also the bands, ribbons of solid energy that can slice through anything._

_And moreover, nowadays, with merely just a wave of his hand and by concentrating his energy through the tips of his fingers… He can cut a person, injuring them from a distance away._

Then again, he didn't resort to any of these attacks, less he was terribly angered beyond his breaking point... That is to say, that nowadays, his hidden anger was now boiling to the surface.

And mind you, this was not the end of the list of his sure kills and capabilities.

The man was not only capable of beating his enemies, but born to KILL and to SLAUGHTER.

Yusuke, on the other hand, his attacks were merely to bring the enemy down... But with the right amount of force, he could manage to kill his foes. _  
_

Now, this is when Sensui decided to speak up, feeling more bold and less tentative than earlier. "What about Urameshi and the other two demons, My Lord?"

The faeries became immediately nervous... In fact, shocked, that such an inquiry would ever be brought to the table.

Gasping in horror, they held their hands over their mouths, frozen... Before fluttering around frantically, in search for places to hide.

An intense and harsh silence immediately fell into the room that moment.

No one dared to speak, nor breathe, nor sniffle, or even clear their throats...

Whilst The Count thought upon this, and considered it most significantly before returning an answer.

And for the first time, Sensui could see that this was a very sensitive subject.

"…The Mazoku Lord is a lost cause," The Count spoke rather harshly, his tone spine-tingling, and his congeniality and warmth had been melted away. "And likewise, so is the Fox. It is up to them to change their course…"

The God knew the story behind the Mazoku very well. He knew about the life he had endured before becoming Prince; living in an atmosphere of debauchery, his mother often too drunk for words rarely ever took responsibility in raising him, and the violent world he had been brought up in when he took to fighting on the streets. The boy had raised himself, somewhat, and had taught himself to fight and defend himself… Nevertheless, despite all of that, he had no excuse whatsoever, no matter how lacking in manners he was, to do what he had done to His child…

And at least he had his mother, his true mother…

…And he had a father who loved them both, who often visited to make sure matters were doing well…

…Yusuke was their favorite son, it was a known fact, and as he grew up he was surrounded by love...

Kazuma's mother had been murdered; killed by professional gunmen, humans who had been hired by demons, demons who paraded in human flesh in the word commonly known as "possession", who in turn worked for "The Black Black Club", evil men who once secretly worked for Reikai…

…To do away with her, for she had given them much trouble in the past…

And for having witnessed unspeakable horrors, stealing the innocence and virginity away from his eyes…

…For having seen them rape his dead mother's mangled, flayed, and disemboweled corpse, after he had been shot three times…

…And afterwards, to finish their heinous work, they decapitated her body; to be sure that she was to never return from the dead, incase she was something more than human…

…He then ended up in an asylum for orphaned children, a place where hardships and neglect were common despite the traumas these children had already endured...

…For having been shell-shocked, as a result, he had turned wild with madness…

…Attacking every human being he found untrustworthy…

…And he was their special case, one which they eventually isolated from the rest of the world…

The asylum was no mere correctional facility, but a place where society puts you when they believe that you are not fit to live amongst the norm. He resided in tiny, dank and barren room, with no proper place to lay his head, and fed a small bowl of gruel once a day IF he was lucky; though the facility was property of the government, it was under funded, thanks to the doctors who pocketed most of the money given. Sometimes, once in a blue moon, the children were allowed to go outside, to which they were taken by the guards to play in a field.

The children lacked much social interactions, and being mentally inept, they were often prone to being violent against one another; including the doctors. However, if they were to bring harm to one another by biting, even so much as bare their teeth in fits of violent rage, they were taken to a private room… And had all their teeth removed, fastened down against their will with no anesthetics or pain killers; leaving nothing but gum, never to chew food again.

But that was only half of the nightmare, for the doctor's used these children to make profits; such as selling their patients' hair to wigmakers, cosmetologists, and artists, which was why a lot of children were seen bald, shaved heads. The sanitarium was not clean in the least; the children were kept in horrid conditions, treated worse than animals. They wore filthy clothes, the same clothes that they had been given since their arrival, and sleeping in soiled unmade beds, and ambling upon floors covered in urine and feces; half of the children didn't even know how to walk, so they crawled on hands and knees. The infections these children had contracted were awful, but it was to be expected when living in such appalling conditions. All the relief they had from this nightmare was the medicine, delivered into their blood stream in in intervals of shots. And children often remained there until they were of legal age, only then to be administered to another sanitarium, to continue their lives in pure hell.

Fortunately, those places were shut down, after the government had taken the right step to investigate what had been going on. People now visited shrinks, taking medication given through appointments, and living rightfully in their own homes.

Nevertheless, Kazuma had endured that sort of hell for over a year… And just when he was about to take his son away from that, another member of his family had stepped forward, beating him to the punch.

…As ordered by court of law, and since they were his official relatives, he had been handed over freely…but with a warning, that this child was more than what he seemed…

Of course, The Count made sure that these legal guardians had signed an agreement, that when he was old enough, he could decide whether or not to live with his father…

…But that never came…

_"Oh, Okimi. My own…"_ He thought with heavy remorse. _"I have failed you then, my Queen… But how do I miss you, with your snow white locks, your pristine blue eyes, and the feel of your soft, flawless, icy white flesh… But rest assured, I made you a promise and I intend to keep it."_

…And he was not pleased, when learning how they raised his boy; robbing him of his childhood by locking him up within a room like some wild, caged animal. Moreover, they purposely took his identity away, along with his memories, all the while having to endure neglect and abuse for reasons that were unknown to him.

…For an example: they often left him alone, abandoned at the supermarket; that is, whenever they permitted him to come with them in shopping…

The family was not adequate, in fact, entirely dysfunctional, and yet they had possessed the rights over him…

But being that these relatives were "legal guardians", the contract's power remained in place. And being the legitimate father of the lad, he could step in and take what was his at any given time...as long as he was of legal age.

That time was now. And being a man of much power, and with having The Queen to back him up, he negotiated with Japan's authorities and their government, as well as his legal guardians, to have his son transferred and stationed to serve in his ranks.

[_In this day and age, The Count lived a role similar to the Royal Jester; which meant he held much power, more power than anyone could ever fathom, especially when it came to handling the sovereign powers of this land._]

Of course, it helped much, considering that his own Envy impersonated their state's President; thereby making the transfer from foreign territory all the more possible. Not to mention that he had secret reinforcements in the government's body, working precisely for him and his endeavors…

[_And these reinforcements were scattered across the globe, working in every line of government designed by man; including The United States of America. They were hidden in the system, appearing as the average human, all to which was purposely to bring about The New World Order._]

…The Police of Japan were not a private organization, in fact, it was ruled entirely by their government…

Legally, Kazuma was a citizen of The United Kingdom, and was not a resident of Japan. And with that undeniable evidence, Japan had no choice but to turn the lad over to his proper home state; a decision made official by its own parliament. Hell, he was more of a citizen of Mexico than he was of Japan…

…And heir to the clan or not, the Kuwabara family no longer had authority to keep him there…

In any case, back to the matters concerning The Tourin Prince, it was a well known fact that he lacked favor in the eyes of humans… Moreover, he lacked the skills to handle the species, thanks to being virtually having no role model to show him the way.

Even though he was born human, he knew almost nothing about humans. And now that he was a Mazoku, all of that which he once knew, was sliding out the door, ultimately being replaced with the lifestyles of Makai.

He didn't even know how Reikai worked, how it ran its systems… But fortuitist for him, the fox did. However, the fox was not on the right side of this field of war.

In short, Yusuke was as uneducated as he was foolhardy. Furthermore, he lacked much respect for everyone and held little consideration for people's feelings. A better reason as to get his son as far away from the boorish man as much as possible, less he continues to rub his ways off onto their Prince and keeping him in the dark.

As for the fox and the fire demon, it was obvious that they were madly in love with the same man, as well as for each other… And yet, they had come to an impasse in their relationship, a mess that had accumulated due to where each of them stood individually in this warfare. The fire demon had received the shortest end of the stick by far when considering on their affair and where it was going; it left the demon in a rather tough situation, let alone confused.

…But the Count had to thank the fire demon and the rest of the demon populace, like Shishiwakamaru for an example, for setting the stage by leading the Mazoku to decide to permanently cut himself off from His (the Count's) son…

…In their words; "_Because Kuwabara was a worthless human_"…

Oh, but little known to them, they were going to pay for making such harsh judgments, for calling his son "worthless" and treating him like an insignificant and despicable creature.

And whether they were all under a spell or not, it had all been their doing... That is to say, they had made the choice, not King Yama, to exclude The Count's son. That spell had nothing to do with the harsh mistreatment of the psychic, but it very well did blind them, and it had brought the worst out that was within themselves... Sides to them that they had been once hidden but now doubled, and like a disease, it had spread throughout half of the demon populace. If anything, it was Enki who was lost under possession, sickened by the curse that had been placed inflicted him. He was the victim, amongst the many others who he was now warring against.

No matter how anyone was to look at it, Yusuke had left behind the human part of himself...and the man who he had once called "brother"...

...The price he had paid for choosing the demon side of himself, allowing it to take over him completely...

"Though he will do as he wishes," The Count stated. "He is not on our side. In fact, he had been chosen by Spirit World to secure their ploys. It is for the better to let him go his own way. The very same goes for the other two. In time, they will face the consequences. Only they can make matters rights concerning their history with my child…"

He lowered his head, tipping it slightly downward, the orbs in his eyes now hooded. He now appeared ominous, if not deadly.

The room rumbled, quaking outwards in ripples from where he sat.

"For a short time in this life," He said with such graveness, his expression solemn and his eyes shining; forewarning those around him that extreme danger was near. "They understood perfectly well in how they must live their lives. The young Demon Lord knew full well that he must live in charity, to give to and help the less fortunate, no matter their size, no matter their species. But alas, he had thrown life's lessons away; nothing more asinine like throwing away one's wealth and blessings to the ravenous dogs on the streets, in faint comparison. One must sometimes kill and one must fight for what is right when the time calls for it, but not live merely for the purpose of fighting. To live a life as such by choice is truly inexcusable. There is more to existence than violence and debauchery. More to life than sparring and fulfilling desired lusts, to live by fleshly urges alone. Furthermore, this Yusuke Urameshi knows NOTHING about honor, or for the sake of retaining or fostering honor... And clearly his fame and popularity has gone to his head...as it has in those who are in his circle of camaraderie." He then made his opinion final, by stating; "...They dug their hole, gentlemen, now they must lie in it."

There was a brief pause between them... And the atmosphere that had accumulated in the room, now laid heavy upon their shoulders.

Despite that, Sensui contemplated his next words carefully; "I see…and I understand. But what shall we do with Koenma, My Lord?"

The Count grunted, and exposing his fangs over his lover lip. "He'll just have to wake up, now won't he?"

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Note:**

You see that I had made a mentioning of the manga and the anime. The purpose of that, really, is that in their world, unlike our's…

They had made a TV series based off of their story. Unfortunately, it was much worse than the anime had portrayed them. Really awful, to be honest. Truly terrible.

Yusuke was portrayed as the cliché hero, which they over exaggerated, but he was also witty. You know the type: The one who starts out with very humble beginnings, is misunderstood because he's the reject of society, but deep down, desperately wants to prove his worth, but ends up with much more. Kurama was utterly, completely flawless, but had a heartrending past. 'Nough said. They made Hiei all the more of a goody-goody, who pretends to be a "meanie" at the same time to cover up his own sob story, and doesn't like Kuwabara in the least (and thus, bashes him). But he's not the only one, everyone bashes on poor Kuwabara. And the guy who plays Kuwabara, well… They directed him to play his character as "the insufferable buffoon", the guy that everyone LOVES to hate. But being the kind-hearted person that Yusuke is portrayed, he takes in the poor "wealthy, muscle-bound, thickheaded, dimwitted, weak, and obnoxious fool" that Kuwabara is into his group out of pity. After all, Kuwabara knows absolutely nothing. He doesn't even know how to survive on the streets, in fact, he is a poser who is a wannabe street punk, who wants to be like him and…who, by the way, is awfully prejudice.

…I don't know about you, but I can see that happening. Hell, I see it in SO much fiction on the web.

As for the mentioning of the Manga… All stories usually start as a story. In Japanese culture, they start out as comics or graphic novels. Yeah. The artist didn't do that bad of a job, but he…nevertheless…left Kuwabara's background history out, which he didn't do with the others…at all.

I know my story has chased away quite a number of readers, namely those who are sensitive in certain areas. I don't mean any harm, I'm just pointing out the facts and portraying them through writing.

And it is as Ref had said… Or hinted at. No one on this good earth is utterly good. If anyone has read or seen the things that I have seen (cinema, literature, etc), they would know that even those of the most good can turn wicked; Sensui is a PRIME example, so is Younger Toguro.

Also, what I had written about The Devil having red hair is TRUE. I'm not joking. I've come across it in different books. One of those books was called "The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology". I also found such information upon the dear, sweet internet. So, it's not made up bullshit! His hair IS a ginger red and it IS curly. He doesn't have black hair, neither a rosy or blood red. It's ORANGE. Seriously. And I was spooked out of my wits when I found that out, too. Really, really spooked.

The song that had been quoted is by the band named Charon.

I want to thank both Saya and KM17 for reviewing once again!


	45. Ch7 p1

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**DARK SHADOWS…**

**[Where he stands]**

**Part One**

_"But there are some things you must understand about my son. Yes, he can be confrontational, as he is prideful. However, when fighting, he's not the sort who fights the female gender. Do not consider this as a new thing he has come to learn in this life. My daughter never brought any harm to women or children, that is, IF it could be helped...for her temper is, indeed, short. Nevertheless, she always possessed a code of honor, so it comes to no surprise as to why she had quickly adopted one in this life…as she had done before in the life before."_

-The Count

**oOo  
**

_"Botan… I don't want any hard feelings to be between us." Kazuma said all of a sudden, then looked over his shoulder back at her."...Ya feel me?"_

_He had such a somber expression, cold sober, bound and determined. His body taut and his shoulders broad. But quickly all that had melted away in a matter of seconds, his facial expression softening, his complexion brightened, becoming more congenial, and his eyes shined with much purity and benevolence._

_He was a different man, a different person with a different face… But there before her, now stood the man whom she remembered best. Who she knew. The one who shined with such radiance and warmth._

And his shadow, likewise, has also returned to normal… Well, almost. That is, if you can count a human shadow with a large set of twisted horns upon his head, and ears strikingly similar to a cat's and a long, prehensile-like tail with a bushy tip like a lion's or a bull's "normal".

These ears extended from where his human ears did, but were long and furry edges, with thin elongated tips similar to a lynx's, and stuck out like doors on a cab towards the tops. As for the horns, they were thick and began from the outer top corners of his forehead, first extending upwards before whooshing towards the back of his crown, and then sprouted up before turning under and outward; the texture and nature of the horns furrowed like a ram's… The tips curled ever so slightly, they did, and were sharp and pointy…

[_The position of his horns left ample room for the wings that were jointed upon his temples. But as of right now, they have yet to unfold._]

All the more peculiar were two feather-like attachments, extending from his backside along with his tail, only shorter, and appeared much like coat-tails…only it bore similarities with the back end of a bird.

However, the horns vanished, which left his shadow with just a cat-like appearance.

"So, he IS a demon." Botan thought confidently when she saw this. "…A cat demon."

[_Important Fact: The cat's symbolic ambivalence is very apparent within Eastern cultures. For instance, both in China and Japan, the cat was traditionally looked upon as a cunning shape-shifter, capable of transforming itself into many different guises. In China, however, it reputedly underwent these transformations for evil purposes, and was a symbol of yin (thereby allied with femininity), whereas in Japan its transformations were beneficial._]

She then shuddered suddenly, realizing that the shadow possessed a personality all of its own...

It was beaming madly, grinning from ear to ear, and surrounded by what looked to be wafting black vapors.

But what she didn't know, is that not all Karma Beasts possess complete human-like features in their true forms; especially a Seraphim.

…Reficul was full blooded Devil, much to people's unknowing, and he had features like an depraved dog crossed over with a serpent and a bat; a dragon to be more precise. He possessed a forked tongue, sharp teeth, talons, enormous gargoyle-like wings, and a long prehensile tail with an arrow-headed shaped tip. He also possessed horns, but were much like antlers upon a noble stag…

And all Devils have horns, just as they all have wings, and like some demons they can hide this unusual appearance; although not all Devils have wings like a bird's or possessed literal feathers, and they came in different shades, an array of colors. A Seraphim has wings like a bird, but they are made of strictly fire, feathers included. Furthermore, differentiating between the two species, of who was either that of Demon or Devil, was commonly a difficult task when using one's own two eyes.

"I hate to break it to ya, but I'm Buddy Rich when I fly off the handle." He confessed apologetically, offering her a ginger, sincere, yet awkward smile. "Nevertheless, I am tremendously sorry about that. I deeply implore for you to withhold all forgiveness for any harm I might bestowed upon you, ever so much."

She nearly choked upon her words in shock and confusion; "Sure…okay…"

He was begging her to NOT forgive him? What was the meaning of this?

She had never heard of such, nor had she ever heard such a thing before come straight from his mouth.

He wasn't sloshed, she knew, but something just didn't seem right.

Botan couldn't put her finger on it…

This sensation, as though her old friend was sliding away through her fingers, just when she believed she finally had him.

"It's just that, you're not accountable for any transgression or any harm that has been done…" He said, his eyes narrowing to a close; like little frowning slits. "So, therefore, my uncouth and improper behavior towards you was utterly unnecessary, in fact, intolerable. I so deplore any misconduct or lack of temperance, especially when committed by my own behalf. Again, Miss Botan, I offer my most humble regrets and appreciate your patience."

"You don't have to apologize so much, Kuwabara." She said nervously, still unsure of what to make of his sudden change in behavior. "I shouldn't have brought anything up. I should have…known…better."

Well, one thing's for sure… Kuwabara always had been a rather social person, in fact, a lot more easier to talk to than Yusuke is. Yusuke often turned a ear to what people had to say, let alone the fact that he was not much of a conversationalist.

In the past, Kuwabara didn't know when or how to keep his mouth shut and rarely faltered to speak his mind… As for as she knew, or thought she did.

"No, no. If anyone is to blame, it is me." He continued to convey, feeling morally obligated to set matters right between them. "I committed the crime here today… For I'm a punk, a barbaric lout… I see now that, that much hasn't changed about me. I've dishonored us all here tonight. I knew better. …I don't ask for your forgiveness, just your understanding."

Kazuma looked away and lowered his head in shame, for having failed in exorcising temperance. His bangs fell into his face, coupled along with deep overcastting shadows, which both concealed his eyes from the rest of the world.

Sun Wukong continued to observe the two of them in stark silence, along with Irei who stared upon them questioningly.

"Kuwabara…" Botan tried to speak, raising her hand and about to reach out to him, but the attempt waned.

"I'll make you a promise, Botan." He stated, wanting her to bare in mind fully his vow. "One that this soldier intends to keep, for if he doesn't…his honor would be at stake. I'll protect you, as I have said. I won't let anything happen to you. I'll lay my life down to keep it…even after the sun sets for me…even after you see me walking in the distance, heading toward the ends of the earth. I'll watch over you."

The reaper stared at him, not knowing whether to be astounded or be grateful. One thing's for sure, she was still very much afraid of him...and that fear wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

Either way, his words, though moving and deep as they were, bared much sorrow.

"Kuwabara…" She spoke hesitantly at first. "What do you believe in?"

She had asked of him such, for she HAD to know.

Kazuma raised his head, but look her way he did not.

"I hold regards for nature and the flow of the universe. Some may say that I'm a Satanist," Behind him, Botan noticeably cringed at that answer. "Others regard me as Pagan. I live by their moral codes and standards, I'll tell you... However, I don't believe in religion…not necessarily." He informed in a low tone. "I don't believe in this forgiveness that everyone longs for. Not anymore…"

Again, Botan found herself to be completely speechless.

For a man who had once seemed so righteous, for being a person of such moral character, it was unfeasible to grasp her mind around his confessions. She had always pictured him to be a religious man, but here he was, contradicting her own beliefs right at this very moment…

It was not just his character, his personality, that had changed over this past half century… His way of life had changed as well.

...So pessimistic, so cynical...so...dark...

[_The Eleven Commandments that Satanists Follow:_

_1. Do not give opinions or advice unless you are asked._  
_2. Do not tell your troubles to others unless you are sure they want to hear them._  
_3. When in another's lair, show him respect or else do not go there._  
_4. If a guest in your lair annoys you, treat him cruelly and without mercy._  
_5. Do not make sexual advances unless you are given the mating signal._  
_6. Do not take that which does not belong to you unless it is a burden to the other person and he cries out to be relieved._  
_7. Acknowledge the power of magic if you have employed it successfully to obtain your desires. If you deny the power of magic after having called upon it with success, you will lose all you have obtained._  
_8. Do not complain about anything to which you need not subject yourself._  
_9. Do not harm little children._  
_10. Do not kill non-human animals unless you are attacked or for your food._  
_11. When walking in open territory, bother no one. If someone bothers you, ask him to stop. If he does not stop, destroy him._

_As for Wicca, there are no rules... But there is a Rede in which Wiccans should follow..._

_"Be true in love this you must do unless your love is false to you."__ is a code he held dear to his heart of hearts._]

He had changed completely, and she wasn't sure how she feel or how she should take in all of this. It was a great burden to bare, considering the fact that she was as much to blame for having not seen him, nor had she even paid him a visit or merely checked up upon him, in five years.

...And it was that fact that she could not overlook...

Botan sniveled back as she tried to withhold her tears, restraining herself as much as she could possibly. Her chest panged heavily with guilt, and her innards twinging with a terribly nauseous sense of deep regret.

Out of everyone else, she had undoubtedly been the most affected by this reunion.

"Deep down, whether one's human or not, we are all animals…" He tried to enlighten toward his point of view concerning this subject. He was well aware of her confusion, doubt, and concern; sensing these feelings of hers reawaken from where he stood. "But what separates us from other species, from other creatures, is not how high our brain capacities are in comparison, but that we've learned…and we know…the difference between right and wrong. Meanwhile, other animals solely rely upon instinct and what their parents have taught them in means to survive. And when one thinks about it, whether it is considering man or demon… We're all still so very primitive…

"Religion is man's way of finding relief in himself…" He explained further. "For one purpose and one purpose only, for comfort…in the means of escaping everyday hardships. And yet, so many people live as though it is something much more. They're only fooling themselves. There is no hope. There is no salvation. It's all just a mirage, an illusion people create for themselves…so that they'll believe that it's easier to live day by day. Truth is, one can only try to make matters up to those whom they have offended… Nevertheless, they remain in Karma's debt. Karma doesn't excuse any action… And it doesn't matter if you've lived your whole entire life in the pursuit of helping others. All of that will not excuse one error, one misdeed."

"Living is SO much easier with eyes closed, so it seems. And this world is just so…wrong…all wrong…" He said as he clinched his fists tightly, so tight that his knuckles turned white; meanwhile wincing slightly as he felt a quick yet sharp pain strike through his head, from the front to the back. He tried his best to show no sign of weakness, to which he had very well succeeded in achieving, despite how crippling and numbing the experience was. "...But I'll find the answers to these questions. I'll find The One. I never break my word...

"...And I'll never give up. I'll die trying."

An all encompassing moment of absolute silence came upon them heavily within the room, engulfing them like a beast.

...And The World had turned its back, yet the stars never shined so heavenly…

Botan stared in silence, stupefied, as the detective made his way towards the Martial Arts Master and the child.

Although he had not started the argument, and some may quarrel over as to who truly started it, but one thing is for sure he surely had finished it.

When he had finished his final statement… His voice, though soft and caring, it laid inane, void…just as the look in his eyes; It was though he was staring at her like a stranger, as though he regarded her as though he had never known her. To sum it all up in a sentence, he was "a soldier on the line of duty, more than obligated to fulfill charitable work". There was nothing special about it, though the feeling of being protected was special.

…Better it is to receive his altruism, rather than to receive his fury….

But those shadows around his eyes, they had not faded away; like some sleep deprived fool who suffers from chronic insomnia. She wondered if Kuwabara had a sleeping regimen, like most average people do. So far, however, she had been given the impression that, perhaps, last night was the first sleep he had gotten in a long while…

In fact, he had slept THREE DAYS straight! Today, was the fourth day. And for him, it was his sixth day being here.

She pondered if they, the others and herself, had been the reason behind his lack of rest. However, the idea was too shameful for her to entertain, so she decided to immediately push it all aside. She had dealt with enough sadness in her time and was not about to take more into herself.

Outside, the moon was but a sliver. As for the previous nights, it had been a crescent. The moon itself was in its waning cycle; rather than it being a waxing moon.

The air outside had became terribly dank and bitter, as though Jack Frost was paying an unexpected visit to nip at fingers and noses. Then again, it was late autumn; which lasts from the eighth of October to the sixth of November in Japan.

Botan let out a sigh before making her way back into the kitchen. How Hiei could bare to remain out there it was beyond her guess. To tell the truth, she honestly didn't know much about him, really, to make any assessments.

Unknown to anyone else, Kazuma had watched the reaper closely, up until the moment she had left the room.

**oOo**

_"I'm dying to catch my breath_  
_Oh, why don't I ever learn?_  
_I've lost all my trust though I've surely tried to_  
_Turn it around"_

-Within Temptation; "All I need"

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

So, we are back to where we left off. This chapter sucked, I know. Oi.

I want to thank KM17 and Saya for reading and reviewing. Thank you so much, you two!

Thanks for the 6,000 views! And Happy Holidays to you all!

There's more to come. Hopefully. Please read and review!


	46. Ch7 p2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** The chapters will be getting darker very shortly.

The time for the human race is running short…

But as promised, and as requested, I am currently writing as much as I can to inform what is happening or going on BEFORE Kuwabara gets to England. Sorry if the progress seems SO dragging!

I've also decided to include what is going on with everyone else, rather than just focusing solely on Kuwabara. However, it is Kuwabara-centric, so their parts won't be as long, or will they have many chapters dedicated to them.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Pairings:** (so far) YusukexKurama [with mentionings of YusukexHieixKurama], YusukexKeiko (sort of, mostly mentionings), ShizuruxKeiko [hints], MukuroxYukina, Botan/Koenma [hints], HieixBotan (later in the story), Reficul(OC)xKuwabara, SensuixItsuki, [SensuixKuwabara (hints), Hiei/Kuwabara (hints)]

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**DARK SHADOWS…**

**[...To live in...]**

**Part Two**

_Stars are not destined to live upon the face of earth,_

_At least not for long._

_They do not live by others standards, nor are they to be confined or restricted…_

_That is the "magick" of Stars, among many other things._

_Though the heavens are an eternal black, the world in itself is so much darker,_

_And they themselves, even darker than it.  
_

_Once fallen, they must take up back into the heavens above…_

_To return living in another world, in another realm, one that cannot be seen by the naked eye…_

_A Star must sustain itself when living in the worlds of other kinds…_

_Or else, the consequences will be significantly disastrous._

_There is nothing more dark, more dense than the core of a star.  
_

**oOo**

_Unknown to anyone else, Kazuma had watched the reaper closely, up until the moment she had left the room._

He knew she no longer wished to be here. He could feel her resentment and dread wafting in the air. He could not blame her, and without a reasonable doubt it tears at him…

But what could he do?

He had made a promise and he intended to keep it, mark his word.

His word is important to him. He never once had broken a promise, nor does he intend to break one now or in the near future.

He was making this sacrifice for them, as planned from the beginning… He knew he would.

Simply put, he could not afford for her to reestablish any attachments to him, that is, if they were ever there to begin with.

But alas, not many people had made any attachments upon him... Perhaps he was fortunate for that, because those who did had paid something dearly.

[_Unfortunately, there had been more people who had paid this price, more so than he would ever wish to know... People who had long since been forgotten. People who had cared for him and had loved him beyond all measure._]

Mind you: To swallow his pride would be a difficult thing to do, especially when that pride came in the form of the one referred to as Nicolai…

Nicolai, though intelligent, clever, savvy, and politically knowing, he often forgets the names of those he knows. He forgets who they are, less they are known to his heart. He knows "The People" as merely being that, whatever they are, never minding who they are individually. If he did not know you in his heart and you did not know him in your's, he never knew you to begin with; you are not one of his, you are nothing more than a stranger to him.

As his name further states, he is "victory", and refuses to accept personal failures; it is he who is relentless and refuses to give up, and just as well, he is the loudest of the party. And being that he was the source of the psychic's pride, though he is brave or gallant is he, he often proves to be rather insolent and boastful in nature; admitting his deeds without so much as a drop of shame...

...Nicolai had once served as a terrifying knight during The Medieval Period to bring The Crusades to an end; but in the means as a spirit, not in human form... And the permission of such had been granted, thanks to her father...

[_Yes, even in death, The Chosen One's power lingered. _

_...As all those who have passed from this mortal, fleshy world..._

_(...Because a person is dead, that does not make them powerless... In fact, what is not seen by most is far the most terrifying, if not utterly dangeorus.)  
_

_And she sought to bring about the punishment of those humans, for the pain and torments they had brought upon the innocent, and for having tainted and misused The Order and The Templar of Masons. She had turned her back against them by turning them over to The "hypocritical" Church; the serpent tongued wolves in sheep's clothing._]

...And it's safe to say that The Chosen One had been "The Head Vampire" all along, but Nicolai had not been alone in all of this...

[_For an example, Narakumaru truly had influenced the growth and personality of Vlad Tepes._]

Nicolai, like Mortimer, always dealt his hand in the matters concerning warfare, for that was what he was borne into. Conversely, Mortimer is the mercenary, and not just the weapon specialist; the spirit of Kuwabara's weapons, which are very much a part of himself rather than being separate entities.

But it was Kuwabara who had done the talking this time around, though his pride bared the tiniest bit of authority in his manner.

It is he, Nicolai, the one who now bares the characteristics that often Hiei and the others saw to be "obnoxious"; "the ever annoying piece of shit that needs his mouth sewn shut, with his feet and hands bounded behind his back" as some demons had said. And it was he who had the better connection with Kuwabara's inner-child; who, all together, was yet another separate personality.

Kuwabara has a total of thirteen personalities in all, including his own that is seen as the face of his being. Ten of those happen to be his pasts and his present, while the remaining three are simply known as "The Maiden, The Mother, and The Crone"; who are referred to as The Wisdoms. Kaguya, herself, became death; the most powerful of all the personalities and "The One" who was The Goddess herself... And she was the one who possessed the ability to channel all the other personalities into herself, all at once, into her own. All of the others, including Kuwabara, was nothing more than fragments of herself.

Suffice to say... Kuwabara Kazuma never existed. He was never born, nor had he ever died. He was there, but at the same time he was not...not ever.

He is an illusion, the shadow that people can only see; like the tail of a falling star in the dark, night sky.

**oOoOo**

_"...Urameshi's stronger than The Devil..." Kuwabara's old friends had often told the human... As many other humans had done, assuming such rumors to be undeniably true. _

_But the truth is: No. Not by a long-shot. _

_Not even if, by some chance, had the ability to conjure up the dead._

_He can't even control or harness power of the elements._

Of all people, Hiei knew this better than anyone; mainly amongst their once would-be team.

_"Yusuke is not The Devil, nor does he bare any similarities with The Devil."_ He thought, sitting aloft in the tree nearest to the Dinning Room's window. _"They are fools to think so... There are no comparisons between the two of them."_

The Devil is a destroyer, an eliminator, an executioner, The Great Equalizer, The Undertaker; the one who is neither Good or Evil, yet, both at the same time...for this being is the epitome of Justice. Yusuke is of a special breed of demon who lives solely for battle, though the earliest of his ancestors were once renowned as being demon gods of war.

To compare the two would be absurd, just as it is ludicrous to compare humans to demons. _  
_

Hiei then peered inside, looking downwards into the room. His red eyes shining in the night, glowing fervently, as he took to restudying the psychic.

_"I don't know who you are, but you are NO human. ...And you are definitely NOT a demon, NOR ogre, elf, or fairy... I think I know...what you are..."_

As Genkai had said, for he sensed it as well (at a much later date, for he had been far too blind to see or too proud to suspect), that even though Kuwabara possessed a pure heart, one which shined like that of gold... There was a great and terrible darkness within him as well._.._

...One that was waiting for the right opportunity to awaken.

The gold was just the outer covering, concealing something much, much darker...darker than the darkest shade of the blackest black._.._

_A black hole._

Something that is far-fetched, in fact, too incredible to believe. However, though the fire demon may not be as intelligent as the fox, particularly in book smarts and knowledge in matters concerning human frivolities... He was by far the wisest and the one who possessed the keenest eyes and sense of awareness. He is much smarter, much sharper, and more cunning than what people give him credit for._  
_

**oOoOo**

"Irei!" Kazuma greeted the little one with a smile.

Her face light up at the sight of him, her eyes twinkling with excitement, and her little ears twitched animatedly.

"Up!" She cried, her tiny hands reaching upward for the tall orange haired man.

Sun Wukong, who was still holding her in his arms, chuckled in response at her behavior.

Kazuma's grin immediately widened for her. Whether she was a beast or not, in his eyes, she was absolutely adorable, even with that horrendous scar upon her face.

"Say, what a capital idea!" He said as he then picked her up, carefully plucking her from the arms of his Master.

With his large, strong hands holding her up beneath her arms, Kazuma raised her much higher, nose to nose, and affectionately nuzzled her as though she was one of his own. The little Hone chirped and giggled... Her hands touching his face, feeling the texture of his skin. Kazuma laughed behind his teeth and planted kisses upon her cheeks, before carefully lowering her back down safely, with her tiny body resting in his arms.

"She tried to wake you up earlier." Sun told, grinning at him.

"Oh, did she?" Kazuma amusingly remarked, taking one of her feet and blowing his mouth against its tinder bottom.

Irei squealed at him, kicking and slightly fidgeting in his grasp.

"Yes, but you were too dead asleep to even notice her bouncing on your chest. Fortuitously, Reficul saved you." The deity said rather humorously, laughing to himself. "In all my days, I have never seen you sleep so hard."

"Oh, I've slept that way before..." Kazuma assured him, then made a silly face. "Plenty of times, specifically in my teen years... A growing boy needs his sleep." The latter he had spoken in a goofy voice. "...But I don't know where I'm growing now... Maybe I'm related to a TREE. GASP!"

He suddenly went back to blowing against her feet, attacking them with passion, and all the while making funny sounds as he does.

A minute later...

Upon making her way back into the dining area, with a pitcher of freshly squeezed orange juice in tow, Botan found herself ceasing in her tracks.

She stared upon him in awe, observing the way he cradled that child, gently and tenderly in those strong arms. He possessed parental instincts more similar to a woman's than a man's, fitting the picture of a mother rather than a father.

However, she was not daring enough to tell HIM that.

Then a question came into mind:

If Kuwabara had settled down with Yukina, and that if they had children...together or not... Would he have been motherly, playing the part of a "Mr. Mom" rather than a father instead?

Something about that equation did not add up right, chiefly because Yukina was practically a feminine woman... It would have been an odd sight to see, that's for sure. A man who behaves as though he is SO incredibly macho, but deep down he himself was gentle as a butterfly, even fluttering about their home whilst tending to chores, pirouetting on the tips of his toes (because she had seen him do it countless of times in the past)... And being the one who mostly takes care of the children... All to which he would do whilst sporting a frilly, pink apron and matching pink bedroom slippers, both having kittens on them in some way, shape or form...

_"A REAL man ain't afraid to wear pink!" He would say. _

No, that is NOT a good image... At least not from her point of view.

It wouldn't be necessarily over exaggerating to say that it "scared her half to death", to be honest; or better yet, gave her "the willies" or the common case of "the creeps".

Her mind forever scarred by such imaginings...for life.

_"No wonder why Hiei refused to accept their relationship!"_ She thought, now very well blue in the face.

The man was obviously not at all dominate, at least not in the matters concerning relationship standards. He would probably like to think that he is, she speculated.

Nevertheless, that man was an utter enigma, there was no "if"s or "but"s about it.

Kazuma blinked in bewilderment.

The last time he had seen the little Hone-onna, she was wearing a nightgown, one which he had manufactured from his own pillowcase. Now, Irei had on something entirely different.

"Wow, what a pretty dress you have on." He said, frantically looking her over. "You have such nice clothes now… Where did these come from? I don't recall ever going shopping, less I did so in my sleep… In that case, sleep shopping."

Irei giggled, wiggling her little feet.

"A certain tall dark man gave them to her." Sun hinted at him. "You know the one I am speaking of."

**~FLASH BACK~**

_The dark god had been in a rather foul mood as of late, though coming from him that was practically normal. Nevertheless, Sun Wukong had known that something had stirred in the man's heart, something that had caused him to be agitated and aggressive…_

_Perhaps he, himself, had to be the blame for that. For having brought up the question as to when Ref was going to tell his student the truth, providing the whole story along with it._

_"You need to tell him." Sun advised, knowing of the foul play that was taking place in Spirit World. "…Tell him everything. Tell him about King Yama, his plot, what he has done, the spell that he has casted… Tell him about Koenma, what that mad man has done to him! What he has done to everyone, including his friends and the demons in Makai! And what he intends to do to him! King Yama intends to destroy him, you know this! And after him, it is only a matter of time before that ruthless dictator has the others eliminated as well behind him! You hear me? He is going to try to kill him... Kill them all!"_

_The boy needed to know as soon as possible and not be left in the dark, but the dark god argued and said that such matters had to be addressed at the appropriate timing… That this had to be dealt with delicately._

_Sun Wukong could not refrain himself from laugh at that, for hearing his friend say a thing, because it was SO out of his character…_

_Since when did The Prince of Hell tend to matters delicately? Why, such things were unheard of, let alone ever thought about. The man had to have been stricken ill, because he clearly was out of HIS deranged, inconsiderate mind._

_The Martial Arts Master was ashamed, of course… But only after he had almost lost his own head for not watching his tongue like he should have, a price he had almost paid for making that clever remark._

_"You must tell him before he finds out himself," He warned, striving to be persistent with this matter, knowing that he was perhaps risking his own life for doing so. "…for by then it could be too late. He needs to know who he truly is. Do not let him remain so oblivious… Or worse, let him be in Koenma's position. The Gods forbid it, please! I will not stand to see him be controlled like that! Please, your darkness, put your jealousy aside for just once! Forget about the Mazoku Lord!"_

_Of course Reficul had heard him, loud and clear in their telepathic discussion, but he left the room as though the conversation had never ever occurred._

_Sun, not wanting to take a standing down, followed him._

_"Worry about the half-breed later!" He pressed on, pursuing the dark god as he marched down the hall. "I mean, when you really think about it, it really is not his fault that he is behaving so…so…" He struggled for the right word, but could not find one. "Look, the point is, is that he is not himself! Neither is the fox. And YOU know that! Why let your past grudges block your better judgment?"_

_What a stupid question to ask. Sun knew better, knew full well that the man never lets any offense go.  
_

_...And it was obvious by then where Reficul was heading…_

_"Why carry on this grudge any further, your darkness, when it is indeed all King Yama's doing? Even the death of his comrades, which King Yama had ordered to be carried out? He wanted this! He wanted him to be enemies with those near sighted fools, even tore him from his own family... All of this had been done for a purpose, a set up, so that when the times comes Kazuma will have nothing left! ...I do not know about you, but I am sick of playing this game of ignorance!" Sun tried to argue some sense into him, badgering him as he continued on following him to his pupil's quarters. "The spell! At least inform him about the spell! Or tell him about that tyrant's schemes, the back-up plans that he has in stored? And the fact that King Yama had once been dethro-"_

_Reficul phased right through the door before he could manage to finish._

_"nnnneeed…but...is..now...baaaaaack..." He drawled out these last syllables and words; like a machine coming to a slow halt. "Ah yah!" He threw his hands up into the air, both annoyed and frustrated. But he was not giving up, not quite just yet. "If not that… At least inform him about the army. The secret army of freaks under King Yama's command… You might as well tell him everything, you know. …Ref? Reficul? Narakumaru? …Lord Hades?" He tapped onto the door with his staff. "Are you even listening to me?"_

_Reficul was one hell of a stubborn individual. And he was, by all means, far from perfect. As Sun Wukong had mentioned before, the dark god was quite the jealous type, not to mention possessive and sometimes a bit overprotective over what he knew to be his. Oh, and he was often very rash and blunt, his words aiming for the kill just as he is always prepared for a grand battle. Violent and blood-thirty. He also had the audacity to pretend as though he was never listening, as though he was the only one for miles by himself, ...when in truth he hears every single word. Rude, and rarely ever sparing one of his vulgarities. And he had the mind to laugh at you, too, for finding him to be so unbecoming. Deranged. Why, he was utterly madder than a Hatter._

_In short, Reficul can be a complete ASS, when he wanted to be...which, unfortunately, is most of the time._

_Hell, he was a MONSTER.  
_

_By that time, the Chinese deity knew better than to continue on in this argument. He failing, failing so miserably. So, instead he decided to peek in to see what the other deity was doing..._

_The man seemed to be growling contemptuously... At none other than Irei... Who had been trying to get the psychic to awaken... So that he would play with her._

_Somehow, the child had sneaked into the room; which meant that the fairy reaper wasn't much of a babysitter._

_"Oh, do not tell me he is jealous even over a mere child!" Sun Wukong thought with disbelief, and yet, afraid for the half-ling at the same time._

_Reficul had picked her up by the back of her handmade slip, gripping the fabric like a dog handles its puppy._

_Little Irei stared back at him, her eyes wide and her mouth open in surprise. Surprisingly, despite the position she was now in, she was not, in the slightest bit, trembling in fear as he looked her deep in the eyes... _

_...Holding her up in the air, by her slip, at eye-level...  
_

_No. She just stare innocently at him, him of all people!_

_"How pathetic. That is no way to be seen." Reficul finally stated, blunt and drolly, obvious to no one that he was referring to her makeshift attire. In truth, going by his facial expressions alone, he looked to be unenthusiastic, stern, and mildly irritated. "Come. I will get you something more respectable and sufficient to wear. I shalt not be seen with you looking like that."_

_Outside, watching outside the door, Sun Wukong fought the urge to pass out._

_What is the meaning of this? _

_Did HE, The Dark Lord, just adopt the kid as his own?_

**~END OF FLASHBACK~**

"Oh, did he now? Well, I'll be damned." Kazuma said in amazement. "So, he's the one responsible for this? Wow. Who would've thunk?"

"My words precisely." Sun chimed in, in agreement. "...Well, sort of."

Kazuma grinned at her. "Hey, kiddo… White's your color, that…and neutral colors." He said. "I used to wear a lot of white, back in the day. In fact, people back in my old neighborhood used to tease me by calling me 'the Jedi'." He held his chin up high. "...Among many other things, people have called me."

Sun Wukong shook his head, the boy just had to give a small history lesson concerning himself.

Irei blinked at the psychic curiously; not knowing what a JedI is, course. "Whaz dat?" Insert awkward moment of pause. "...The Jedi thingy."

She wanted to know no only what it was, but why he seemed so proud to be called as such.

Obviously, she knew nothing about pop-culture references. And how would she? She was not from "around" here.

Kazuma thought for a moment, wondering whether he should go into detail or not. "Hmm. I'll tell you what… I'll just have to show you one day. I'll introduce you to the fabulous world of Star Wars." He decided to say; usually kids this young would not still even know or comprehend even if you told them. "As for the outfit I am wearing now, it doesn't suit me…" He then glanced over at Sun. "Sorry, Master. But I was never one for fighting robes. I prefer a trench coat, boots, and a pair of slacks."

"Ah yah. Yesss." Sun Wukong pretended to concur, further playing it up by rubbing his chin in a pensive-like manner. "You were always one for more… elegant, swanky, uptown formal wear."

Kazuma sweat dropped. "You could've just said 'classy' and left it at that."

"IF you call that sort of attire, that which you speak of, 'classy'." Sun quipped, crossing his arms over his chest. "Next, I surmise that you will be trading in your bamboo hat for a top hat."

The psychic pouted. "Master, must you think that of me? I wouldn't dare trade these threads in, not even for a million dollars… And that says something, because I so desperately need the money."

Sun nodded. "Ah. This much is true. However, you would look very ridiculous if you did not; like a chicken with a noose around its neck, whilst wearing a wig and a pair of clogs…"

Kazuma made a face at the comparison; his upper right lip curling upward, while the right curled downward, and his right squinted.

Much to his discontent, Sun continued; "An old traditional gardener's hat clashes with a suit. I was hoping you would know that, mister fashion sense and pop-culturally correct."

Kazuma's frown deepened, his mouth now in the shape of a ghastly lower-cased "n".

Sun laughed. "You are SO fickle. You are like girl!"

From the table, having heard the monkey god make such a claim…

Botan suddenly put in her own two cents, exclaiming even though her mouth was full; "Hey, that was exactly what I was thinking! About the girl part!"

Kazuma's eye began to twitch, his mouth now about to implode with words he was so desperately trying to hold back...

"WHYYYYYYYYYY?" He screached at the top of his lungs, comically spazzing out; with his free arm waving beside him in the air, and while moving his head about sporadically.

And in all he got in return was...the other three staring at him; four if you can Hiei watching in the nearby window, who had fallen out of the tree the moment Kazuma had started screaming.

**…TBC…**

* * *

**IMPORTANT NOTE (Author's Comments):**

I've got nothing really big to say... Other than I might put this story on hold for awhile...

I removed the note, or long lecture, because it was leading into what sounded as an angry rant...not to mention that I was giving away the whole entire story. Put it this way, I've got some really ugly PMs, stuff that doesn't make sense... Because most of it is from angry fan girls. Also, they are from people who don't even read this story thoroughly enough, nor do they read my notes.

I am not going to ruin it for some people, all because of angry fans; some who happen to like Yusuke as an overly nice guy, which for him that is totally out of character.

I already gave a lot away with the flashback in this chapter. I got sick of the attacks, though this confrontation between Ref and Sun was going to happen eventually (well, it already did, but I was going to have it in a flashback anyhow)... I had gotten attacked by a lot of people who won't even give the story the chance to build. Not all fans were like this, mind you. ...But alas, the last straw has broken the camel's back. People are just more intent to protect the other three members of Team Urameshi, though some fans try to disguise their complaints as though they are for merely Kuwabara's sake (because they started switching their complaints and had stood up for the others more than Kuwabara).

Here's the proposition: If you don't want me to continue the story, then fine. But if you wish me to continue... Let me know. I get a lot more harassment from folks, a lot of flames (flames that are PMed to me, rather than comments or reviews), than I do anything else.

I'd like to say thanks to KM17 and also to Seto-Fan1. I appreciate the comments, no matter what they are. And thanks, Seto-Fan1, for at least giving the story a chance. Your opinion matters a lot. Sorry if you think I was leaving parts of the manga out. You are not the only one who made such complaints, but others who have never read through it at all or even tried to. They never gave the story a chance. I wanted this story to build, to have a lot of body... Ehh, I don't think people are really interested anymore.


	47. Ch7 p3

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro. I do not own YYH, nor do I own the characters. And no, I do not make any money off of writing this fiction.

**Author's Note:** I reiterate: **Kurama and Yusuke are NOT evil.** Please read my notes and please read my story carefully. Also, Kurama is a girl in this fic. Why? Because Kitsunes are originally ALL FEMALE; like Yukina's race of people are. I don't know why the original creator made him a he, but that was his decision and not mine. I happen to like to follow facts and mythologies. However, I am doing my best to also follow the YYH manga.

On another important note: I will continue the story if people wish me to, but lately I've been getting a lot of bad flames. Flames that make absolutely no sense, most of them. If no one likes the story, then I will discontinue it. Unfortunately. I really don't want to, but the flamers and trolls on this site are ridiculous. I probably ruined the story anyway, especially with "Book II: Chapter 7 part 2". And for that, I apologize. Currently, I cannot find any other sites to take this story to...so this fic might die...

* * *

**DARK SHADOWS…**

**[For all Eternity]**

**Part Three**

_"With just a look, they shook_  
_And heavens bowed before him._  
_Simply a look can break your heart._  
_The stars that pierce the sky;_  
_He left them all behind._  
_We're left to wonder why_  
_He left us all behind."_

**#1#2#3**_  
_

A few minutes later, after Kazuma's spaz-attack had passed…

"I have a trick I'd like to show you." Kazuma said, then placed his hand into his pants' pocket, fishing for something.

For some odd reason, these pants had deep pockets, let alone pockets at all. Then he remembered, he made them. Sewn them in himself, he did, because pants were not pants without something that can manage to hold valuables from his point.

A second passed, he successfully retrieved what was a small piece of parchment, one in the shape of a square.

Amazingly, with the use of one hand, he began folding the paper; using his thumb and the two fingers closest to it. He made an origami butterfly, something that was near impossible to do with one hand, let alone difficult to make with both hands. But to the untrained eye, to the eyes who cannot see, he was also using a bit of his telekinetic powers; to form the paper butterfly much quicker.

"I used to make these a lot as a kid, way back before I ever had friends." He told Irei. "Normally, people do this with both hands… But as you can see, I must of had plenty of time on my hands as a wee one to achieve this craft single-handedly. That, and I once had a broken arm."

He paused for a moment, slightly shivering at his mentioning of it, remembering how he had acquired such injuries; unpleasant childhood memories. Doing what was best, he pushed them immediately away from himself, though they were something he would never forget.

[_Not to mention the truth upon the matter, that his arms had been broken numerous of times… And not just by his father, Masato… But also by Rando… And had them broken even more, broken many more times, by none other than Yusuke himself before they had formed their close relationship._

_And yet, oddly enough, his wounds healed rather quickly, more swiftly than any other human's body can manage or a person would hope to heal. In a week's time, in the past, his body was completely healed, bone and all. But nowadays, his wounds healed much quicker._]

"I used to make paper flowers, too. And cranes. And swans. And those little paper stars, the throwing kind. Heck, what am I sayin'? Origami was once one of my hobbies. That, and fixing things. I had no life." He finished, purposely adding a bit of humor, even if the remark that had been made was about himself. Truth be told, he had made a bit of a habit of degrading himself, a trait which he had learned over the years.

With the origami still in his hands, he brought the butterfly up to his lips and whispered to it, then gently blew upon its wings.

Botan had placed down her fork, now watching him closely and wondering to herself as to what he was doing.

A few seconds past, and much to bother Botan's and Irei's surprise, the wings began to move on that thing. Flapping like a low beat on a drum, in a rhythm that was no different than any living creature that it represented.

Botan stared in shock, unable to believe her own eyes, as the paper began to morph even further.

The body became more solid, more full, with legs and antennae miraculously sprouting from out of itself. Even from where she sat, which was on the opposite end of the table, she could very well see the transformation... As the paper butterfly pushed its body upward, off of the psychic's hand to stand upon its diminutive feet.

And if that did not take the cake, the butterfly having suddenly lifted off into the air DID.

Irei giggled, all the while trying to catch the thing as it fluttering about above her.

"Look! Look!" The little Hone cheered.

The reaper rubbed her eyes, wondering to herself that she was hallucinating by some chance. "How? How is that thing flying?" Don't get her wrong, but that was on of the most amazing things she had ever seen.

"That's because it's magic!" He told her, now looking her way whilst Irei was busy still trying to catch the marvel in her tiny hands. "That's about the only parlor trick I'm willing to perform, and then some. It only moves because my spirit energy allows it to. Other than that, the butterfly is not real."

With the snap of his fingers, the butterfly ceases to be and falls to the floor, demonstrating that what he had said was true.

Botan's teeth clenched. After hearing what he had said, she had enough common sense to know what he meant.

This was, by no means, a use of telekinetic abilities. No, what he had done whilst folding the paper was, but this… In plain wizard terms, the ginger haired man had bewitched the paper. What he had done was different than any witchery, in fact, it had been a form of possession. An ability that was a gift, not something that is learned.

**oOoOo**

Botan was not the only one who had been stunned by the trick.

Outside, Hiei had witnessed the entire thing…

And let me tell you, he was astounded as she was, if not more.

Because, now, this meant that Kuwabara was capable of committing the most heinous and unforgivable act ever known… Complete manipulation of a person, against a person's will.

And even though it had been an inanimate object, he had brought life into it. To be able to do this, one must also hold power over death itself. For with death and life together, particularly used as a whole, this was what the power of creation was about.

If he was right, that Kuwabara was one of those Devils… Then he was no ordinary Devil.

And from where Hiei was standing, these pressing matters weren't looking up for Yusuke.

Not that he cared that much for him at this point in time, not with how they were both changing, both now taking separate paths in their lives…setting sail in opposite directions…

Actually, the more time Hiei spent away from the demon, the more he began to fall out of love with him; just as his feelings for Mukuro had dwindled with time.

Not that it would have ever worked, mind you, since Yusuke and Kurama had each other. A relationship between two males and a female very seldom do.

**oOoOo**

Irei sat in Kazuma's lap, on his left leg to be frank. There was no highchair or a booster seat, so he had to make due.

And after getting them both comfy and situated in the chair, he turned his immediate attention to the food that had been long since set there, which was now before him since he was now sitting at the dinner table.

Yes, the food had to be cold by now, but Kazuma really didn't mind. He had eaten plenty of cold breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in the past.

Botan summoned up the courage to point out another different, yet, stressing matter.

"That little thing hasn't eaten all day." She informed, ever so nervously she did. "I tried to give her a cookie the other day, but she spitted it right back out like it was poison."

Kazuma blinked. "Oh? That's odd. A kid not liking cookies. How peculiar is that?" He muttered, looking down at the child.

Botan then decided to continue, stating; "Then I caught her biting into a squirrel. I got to her in time, before she hurt the little thing." Her face contorted, sickened by the mere memory of it.

"Hmm." He thought for a moment, wondering if she would like a piece of his bacon. So, naturally, he decided to give the idea a try.

He took a piece off of his plate.

"Here, try this." He said, wiggling the strip before her face.

However, much to his dismay, Irei turned her face away from the meat; like a child rejecting to take her icky tasting medicine.

"Come on, just one taste." He tried again, but she refused all the more; giving him a whining "no".

She even went so far as to turn herself, her whole entire body, away from the sight, clinging to his shirt and hiding her face as though she was terribly afraid.

Kazuma's face fell when he saw her refusal, but then again she was part demon. Perhaps she did not like human food. …Maybe she was "the other kind" of demon. In that case, human sustenance must upset her tummy, let alone smell and taste bad.

So, with that, he decided not to press his luck, or else there will be a bigger problem. He really did not want to see the kid sick.

"Well, I tried" He said, placing the bacon back on the plate.

He then reached over to grab the salt…

But as his hand made a move for the item, Botan's bouquet of freshly picked flowers, ones which she had picked from out of the garden, had suddenly took a turn for the worst…

They quickly withered, shriveling up into nothing but stiff and black shells of their former selves.

Botan immediately dropped her fork when she saw this.

"Oh… My beautiful flowers!" She exclaimed, her tone of voice with the horror, distress, and the confusion. "What happened to them?"

Kazuma was as shocked and perplexed as she was. "I don't know." He told her, unable to give her the accurate answers. "Clearly, their life had evaporated…into thin air…" He narrowed his eyes at the flowers.

In all honesty, he could not understand it himself. He had not used alchemy, not even when he had put life into that butterfly. Remember, alchemy's law of "equivalent exchange". He knew that, in order for alchemy to work, he would need something more than flowers, not to mention the fact that he would have to make the sacrifice the moment alchemy is in use.

Unknown to him, however, was that his inner vampiric nature was gradually awakening.

Sun knew this very well and made a mental note of it, too. He was sitting at the table as well, popping grapes into his mouth. No one questioned where he got them, but he had the fruit nonetheless.

Botan sighed. "Well, I had gotten them to bright up the room a bit…" She said to the detective. "But I guess…it was…"

He looked up, his brow raised. "All for naught?"

"Yes." She admitted glumly, now poking the rest of her food with a fork.

Kazuma became silent, not knowing what else to say. But then something struck him, something he believed to be entirely important.

"By the way, thanks for the food, Miss Botan." He told her, remembering that gratitude was one of the most required steps he had learned in the book of etiquette. Hospitality and gratitude were very important, just as the rest of the proper mannerisms were.

Besides, he wasn't that rude of a person….

That is before his eyes caught sight of the utensils laying obtusely beside his plate; scattered and hair-brained was more like it, with each piece laying on top of each other. It was a nightmare, from a guy's perspective who just so happens to be anal.

Kazuma picked up his only fork, which was amongst two spoons and a butter knife. "You know that this is a salad fork, right?" He said whilst holding it up for her to see, then placed it down, only then to pick up one of the spoons. "And this is a serving spoon." He placed that one down, then picked up the next. "This one, here, is for dessert." He then put that one back down, then finally picked up the knife. "And this is to cut butter with. And where is the hand cloth to wipe my hands with?"

"Quiet, Mister Prim and Proper." Sun chided, waving his finger at him. "Not everyone wishes to live as garishly as you."

Kazuma sulked in return. "Garishly? These eating utensils are not honorable enough…to suit the role that lays before me."

Botan looked at him funny, which was her only response for having heard him say something as preposterous as that. Why, it was utterly silly.

"Ha! Says the man who picked up bacon with his fingers a moment ago!" Sun Wukong flatly pointed out, then shook his head. "You have lived with me for quite some time. And you pay me visits every other weekend in the past. Since when have I ever had anything that you require? We go through this every time you decide to eat here! If you do not like, go buy some silverware, you lazy!"

Botan sweat dropped, watching the two as they discussed trivialities; in all honesty, it was a one-sided argument. "Ooookay." She uttered under her breath. "No sense of getting into that argument."

Silently, she then noted to herself about how her orange haired friend had more lip on him than most woman she had seen in this part of the world, literally; for they were rather full for a man. She noticed this by watching him flap his mouth, somewhat studying the way his lips moved. They were more noticeable than Kurama's thinner, smaller lips, and had more of a shape, too. But then again Kurama did have a rather small mouth, especially when compared to Kazuma's.

Kazuma had apologized and dropped the argument quickly, however, not wanting to argue with his Master. Doing otherwise would have been disrespectful.

...For if anyone had taught him about respect, it had been Shizuru; no one else had been better teacher in that subject, mainly because she had pounded and beaten the respect into him. Not to say that she was respectful herself, she just wanted her brother to turn out better than she did...

With the use of the salad fork and the butter knife, he tried once again to make do. Then again, by looking at the food, let alone the somewhat present aroma, he did not feel up to eating. Nevertheless, he knew he must.

He decided to start with the eggs; which were sunny side up, over easy.

After cutting through the eggs, he took his fork and carefully jabbed it into the soft, fleshy substance.

He gulped, sweat popping off of his face as a sudden nauseating feeling overcame him. Truth be told, he was now dreading it, though he had no clue as to why. It was a feeling in his gut.

The other two watched him with curious eyes, anticipating the moment by every second that passed by.

_"What's wrong with him?"_ Botan wondered, thinking to herself. _"He's never hesitated to eat my cooking before."_ She then began to pout over the matter, unsatisfied with his manners and feeling sorry for herself. _"My cooking is wonderful! Even Hiei enjoys it! I worked my hands to make that food. And I didn't even want breakfast for dinner!"_

Kazuma heard this and felt bad, terrible even. So, he decided to suck it up and push aside his intuition, and placed the food into his mouth.

He began chewing.

"This food tastes odd." He muttered with his mouth full, chewing on the food as the clock ticked; like a cow munching on cud.

Moments later, he spitted it out, right back onto the plate. He was now lurching, heaving forward, with one hand clasped onto his throat whilst striving to keep a hold of the child. The eggs were like rot and ashes in his mouth, with no taste except for bitterness.

The others stared, eyes wide with fear, wondering if something terrible had happened or that his food had gone down the wrong pipe.

Moments had passed before he, at last, regained his composure.

Kazuma coughed in his inner elbow. "The food tasted terrible." He admitted, shamefully telling the truth, though he had no doubt that was going to regret it.

"Why, I've never!" Botan exclaimed after standing up, then slammed her hands against the top of the table. She then yelled; "If you don't like my cooking, then at least be polite about it!"

The detective waved his hand at her; like a soldier waving the white flag of defeat. "My apologies!"

"Too late!" She snapped, then sat back down with a harrumph.

The man frowned, his now eyes closed in similar shapes. Well, he had been expecting that sort of reaction, especially coming from her.

...Deep down, in the darkness of his mind, his other personalities found her to be intriguing, to say the least. She as as brave as she was foolish, for making such a rash riposte...

"Yes, there you go being rude again!" Sun expressed his disapproval as well. He then took his staff beside him and whapped his student upon the head, not too hard though hard enough to sting the scalp.

Kazuma winced and frowned at his master, his bottom lip puckered out somewhat. Honestly, he couldn't win for losing.

Irei patted him, right on the stomach, which was her own way of showing her sympathies the best way she could.

"And have the common courtesy to sit up straight, back flat against the chair, with your feet before you and your head held up high." The Chinese Deity continued to scold, more than likely humoring the lad. "Whatever you fancy people do." He then shifted his eyes towards Botan and winked at her.

Botan smiled and laughed nervously in return. _"I do hope he's not hitting on me."_ She thought, the very idea of it she found to be rather grim.

"Look." Kazuma spoke, voice stern and his expression serious; like a tombstone on a grave. "I said I was sorry. Can't you people take an apology?" It was more of a demand than a question, especially with how he was now gritting his teeth at them.

Botan and Sun Wukong said nothing, neither of them liking that look in his eyes. He was scary whenever he was serious, especially when the orbs in his eyes were hooded like that.

Though Kuwabara had became more of a gentleman over these past years, he still had a temper. And apparently, from their standpoint, he was about to lose it again. That and his patience.

Botan recoiled, sinking low into her chair, and bringing her shoulders up as high as they could go to protect her neck. Secretly, she prayed inside herself, hoping that someone would come to save their hides and spare them from the volcano that was threatening to erupt.

**#4#5#6**

_"Dreams of his crash won't pass_  
_Oh, how they all adored him_  
_Beauty will last when spiraled down._  
_The stars that mystify_  
_He left them all behind._  
_And how his children cried_  
_He left us all behind."_

A.F.I.; "Miss Murder"_  
_

**…TBC…**

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**Author's Comments:**

I posted this chapter mainly for Amethyzt, because that was the only person who seemed to try to talk me into continue this story. I know and consider the fact that people have been gone or are still absent, being that it is the holidays... But lately, a lot of flamers have been coming out of the woodwork. More than usual. To be frank, I am tired of the abuse... But I will endure it if people wish me to continue on writing this story.

The question still stands. **  
**


	48. Ch7 p4

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Okay, I have something important to say, and it concerns Yusuke and Kurama…

I know that I have it where the two had done something terrible in their past lives (well, Yusuke's anyway), but like all people, we learn from our mistakes (Yusuke's past self had feelings for Kaguya, and being that he was a demon… Back then, demons behaved and regarded circumstances much differently than they do now). What I am trying to say is, is that Yusuke and Kurama are by NO means evil. No. They are not evil, in fact, they are THE GOOD GUYS in this story. However, this story is NOT about them. But I will include them, nevertheless.

The pairings remain, the ones as I have stated in the beginning.

Thank you and enjoy the story!

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons. Namely this chapter.

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**DARK SHADOWS**

**[The Darkness, My Eternal Home]**

_Botan recoiled, sinking low into her chair, and bringing her shoulders up as high as they could go. Secretly, she prayed inside herself, hoping that someone would come to save their hides and spare them from the volcano that was threatening to erupt._

Irei tugged on his shirt, which fortunately for them had captured his attention.

"I'm hung-wee." She looked absolutely miserable as she sounded, her voice gurgling on her words.

"I know, I'm sorry." He apologized to her, holding her close as he rubbed her back.

He didn't know what to do. She didn't like human food, so there was nothing for her to eat around here… Save for themselves. But he knew that she was a good little girl, he could feel that in her. And it was obvious by now that she had not been taught to eat humans, or other species of people for that matter. Her little mind had not been tainted by "the hunt, for the need of fresh, raw meat", but she certainly needed it…or something.

Hopefully, it would not turn up being the flesh on their own bones in means to sustain herself. You'd be surprised what instincts can do.

The room then suddenly darkened, an ominous dark shadow appeared, which quickly grew in size and engulfed the entire area with a leaden, gut-churning phenomenon. The temperature dropped significantly, their warm breath became anomalous when contrasting against the numbing, unpleasantly cold air.

All of the warmth and comfort in the room's atmosphere had been swallowed away, all of this was how the fairy felt at least. Surprisingly, the others weren't that affected. Not even Kuwabara was all that phased, in fact, he had already grown somewhat used to his dark friend's bizarre arrivals.

Botan had been taken aback by the eerie shadow, moreover, she began to shiver when a cold chill trailed with haste down her spine. Her color drained away in her complexion, especially when she saw a set of blood red, burning eyes appear out of nowhere, hovering near Kazuma.

**"She's a vampire."** Ref's powerful, deep, and dark voice rumbled, which reverberated off the walls.

The fairy jumped in her seat, only then to fall right out of it because she was almost down to the floor to begin with. Her back pushed the chair backwards, which caused an obnoxiously nerve grating, loud scraping sound; the hard wood floors moaning against the leg's bottom bases of the chair.

And for a place that was supposed to be old fashioned and traditional, the table and the chairs were evidently designed after the ones seen in the western parts of the world.

She cautiously raised herself, deciding to hide as she peeked over the top of the table. She watched as The Dark Prince formed himself, the shadow in the room shrinking away as he appeared before them entirely; from a pair of eyes to black smoke and then flesh.

The reaper stared at him, she had not yet got a good look of him before, other than the other of his eyes.

He possessed strong, sharp, manly features. He was not at all baby-faced, not even cut or molded into the picture of innocence. He was down-right handsome...devilishly handsome, she had to admit, and would probably look great with his face being rugged with stubble. Heck, there was no doubt that he could pull off wearing a stylish goatee. His hair was incredibly shiny, but it still was the darkest, richest black she had ever seen in all of her existence. As for his skin, he was a light cocoa color and had no olive or "Asian"-like pigmentations whatsoever.

_"My goodness, he's BLACK."_ She stated in her mind. But knowing that she could be wrong to make such a quick evaluation, she then thought about more carefully. _"That or…appears as of Hispanic origins. I can't tell!"_

Well, not really. She didn't put too much consideration into it at all, though mostly because she couldn't; less she wanted to fry her brain over the matter.

But no one can really blame her, for all she had to go by was human ethnicities, so it wasn't racial profiling. Not really. Devils don't have such ethnicities, just as demons didn't. With Devils and demons, it isn't a matter of skin color, but what type of breed they were.

She didn't know much about Devils, however. In fact, she only had rumors and stories to go by.

Ref began to address the detective, now having turned his way. He gave the object of his affections a crooked yet sly grin; it was thin but cheeky, his sharp teeth could be seen well enough, including one of his fangs.

"My precious Nemo," He said in a husky tone, delivering a tinge of affection in mentioning the psychic's pet name that he had given him. "I see you still have a lot to learn about demons, let alone Karma Beasts."

Kazuma raised a brow at him, his eyes having shifted over and upwards his way.

Meanwhile, little Irei had turned herself and was now staring straight at the dark god; her expression adorable with unbridled innocence. She cooed at him, then took her thumb and began to suck on it.

"The term 'Vampire' means 'blood drinker'," Reficul stated, enlightening his lover just in case the man had forgotten; but more or less, it was also an attempt to irritate him. "Which is how they feed. While purely carnivorous demons need fresh, raw meat to sustain themselves, angels require both energy and sustenance usually found in sanguine form. However, not all vampires drink blood, some take what they need from that of pure and absolute energy; the essence of living organisms."

The old Kuwabara would have reacted immensely when hearing such gruesome facts. He would have been sweating beads, gulping in fear, and getting as far away from the dark deity as possible.

However, this Kuwabara had faced countless of demons, had slain many foes that did almost exactly the same thing. Hell, he couldn't count the number times when he fought demons who lived by sucking the very souls out of any human they laid their grimy mitts upon.

So, in the long run, he had became somewhat desensitized. Again, he had been a demon slayer and not just your ordinary police officer. He didn't learn to yield wizardly powers for the mere fun of it. The same went for alchemy, though he generally used those skills for whatever need he believed was acceptable enough to require them; like mending his clothes for instance.

The old Kuwabara was way gone, been gone for years; finally, since he had endured SO much terror whilst growing up.

"Besides," Ref continue. "Devils today live in search for blood, for violence and the raptures of war, to breath in the stench of decay and gunpowder… That is the sweet smell of justice."

"Justice, you say?" The psychic rebuked, grinning peevishly back at him as his eyes flashed. He was threatening him not to go there. "In the name of common decency, that is NOT what Justice is all about."

"Spoken like a true warrior of the meaning, you are." The dark god said, his smile becoming much darker, but his show of fondness for the lad increased as well. "But you are overlooking the point, my dear."

Kazuma glowered at the fact that the deity had tested him. Nevertheless, he was curious to what he had to further say, even though he had a hunch of where this conversation was going to lead; and truth be told, he didn't really like it.

"Go on." He said, waving his hand for him to continue.

Reficul's grin widened even further, much to Kazuma's plain disgruntlement.

"She's one of their illegitimate spawn." Ref said, purposely educating him further. "She must drink, if she is to subsist in this miserable world. And for her to eat solid, raw meat, it would take years for her stomach to adapt. Trust me, you must take my word for that." He chuckled when Kazuma made a face at him for having stated that remark. "But human sustenance is out of the question. Only Dhampires can consume such. Right now, she is a fledgling, being that she is uneducated in obtaining the right nutrition." He then took a step closer to the psychic, only then to lean down, to speak in his ear as though his words were him to hear alone. "You need to know this if you wish to take care of the spawn."

Kazuma blinked. "Wait. How did you-"

Reficul cut him off with a sinister but also amused chuckle. "I know you far better than you might believe."

Kazuma couldn't help but to blush nervously at that.

How much did this guy really know about him?

If one was to surmise, or to take in an account for everything they have done, they might find the answer to be rather unsettling; if not overall scary as shit.

"Well, she has nowhere else to go." Kazuma muttered, speaking in a light tone right back at him. "What else am I to do? I can't just hand her over to some orphanage, that would propose a problem."

Sun Wukong heard them speak, nonetheless, being that he has keen ears. It was Botan who was bewildered, since she couldn't make out a single word they were mentioning. And Irei was far too young to understand.

For the first time, working in a group or being part of a team, the blue haired fairy felt excluded.

_"This must be how Kuwabara felt."_ She thought miserably, now sitting back in her chair and thinking back to the times when the others and she would huddle up together and speak behind the psychic's back.

You know, they could be speaking to each other telepathically...to spare her of the grief.

But unknown to her, this was all Reficul's doing. He purposely wanted her to feel that way, getting pleasure from her new understanding of how it feels to be left out and shunned. And being the unforgiving person that he usually was, he was going to make her experience everything she had put his darling "Nemo" through. Yes, he wasn't so forbearing as Kazuma was.

"Indeed." Reficul concurred to Kazuma's reply. "So it is best that you keep her until you find her father."

"Her father?" Kazuma repeated his words skeptically. "Isn't he supposed to be-"

Reficul growled in his throat, looking him dead in the eyes. "Is that a problem?" He challenged, wanting to see if it would take them anywhere. "…Nemo?"

One would believed that the deity was attempting to intimidate the psychic, but in all actuality he wasn't. He wasn't even close to his brand of "threatening".

"No," Kazuma answered, considering his words wisely. "I suppose not. Perhaps she would be better in her father's care…" He glanced down at the child, then looked right back at him. "And another thing… Quit calling me 'Nemo'."

Reficul only chuckled in response, never guaranteeing or promising that he was ever going to quit giving him pet names. Kuwabara glared at him, knowing precisely that, what that laugh meant and it irked him.

Then suddenly, the hellish prince brought out something, now hold in his right hand a jug of contents that he manifested from out of thin air. How he did it was beyond anyone's guess. This man had the natural ability to summon objects as he so wished, and it was no different than how he had summoned the mirror several days ago.

For Botan, however, this was all just too much for her to take in. First having to witness Kazuma's capabilities, now this person's. She was feeling rather useless now, more so than ever. Not that anyone had ever considered her to be "useful", much to her own despair. Most people, including those in spirit world, considered to her be more of a "liability" than anything else.

But at least when she was amongst Yusuke's group she felt some worth, as though she was amongst family. She really missed him that much, including his witty, perverted banter. These people here already had a family, but she really didn't feel as though she was part of it.

Besides, things were getting WAY too weird for her comfort.

So, with that in mind, she decided to quietly slide off to somewhere else in the house. She needed air, but she wasn't so sure if she was willing to step outside. It was cold out there, too nippy for her liking.

The others noticed her departure, of course.

"Thanks for the help, Botan." Kazuma called out to her. "Don't go too far off on the property." It was his own way of telling her to "take care".

Botan ceased in her tracks, now standing in the frame of the door. She looked back at him, surprised that he would address her, or better yet, say his gratitude. A soft smile graced her countenance, her cheeks now warm and rosy as her heart swelled with delight.

Perhaps she had been wrong. No one but Koenma had ever wished her well. Kazuma really wasn't all that bad, when she considered it. He just had a frightening side to him that she, unfortunately, had been more acquainted with. Make that "better acquainted with", since she has yet to see all of him at his worst.

"I won't." She replied with a nod, then finished her way out of the room.

Kazuma knew it was for the best that she did leave, for what was about to transpire might have been more mentally damaging than the girl could manage to take.

The detective turned his focus back on Ref, then turned his gaze and narrowed his eyes at the jug…

A jug filled to the top with blood.

"Ref…" He started. "Where did you get that blood from?"

The dark god continued to grin at him. "Donors, though they weren't so eager." He answered, his eyes lulling sexually at the psychic.

Kazuma flushed at the look, but still managed to grunt at him. "You can't be serious."

"Oh, but I am." Reficul said in calm yet devious tone. He positively loved it when the man blushed, almost as much as he enjoyed seeing him pissed off. Sick as it may seem, it was a private thrill for him. "No worries, though. They won't be missed."

Kazuma didn't like that answer. Not one bit.

"How could you say that?" He growled out with a hiss. "What gives you the right to take away another person's life?"

"They were scum!" Reficul answered, as though it were simple and meant nothing. He stood back up, his posture now straight, save for his head; which was tilting downward for he had not taken his eyes off of the other man. "Insignificant little thorns in the sides of society. Administers of filth and thieves that reaped off the harvest of men's backs, and the milk from the mothers' breasts. Men who selfishly held onto money, just as they held onto their cocks. Pig shit and swallow. Feel no pity for them."

"Don't talk around the kid like that, Ref." Kazuma reproached, mightily chagrinned at his friend's behavior and at what he had done. His eyes flashing with seething anger. "You know that everyone has the right to live, even scum like that!"

No doubt, Ref had dragged the men into a dark alley somewhere, after pulling them away from whatever crime they were about to commit. At least that is how Kazuma imagined it.

But that was only half the truth. In actuality, Ref had hounded the men down, terrorizing them before having killed them.

Blood just tastes so much better once the adrenaline has been pumped into it; a simple fact that was most true.

He then disposed of the corpses, of course, by throwing them away into a nearby dumpster; a place he found to be most suitable for their kind. He would leave it up to the living to bury them, if they so wished to do so. But he didn't care if anyone mourned for their deaths. No, it was their fault for permitting fools like them to live such lives, which involved stealing and wrecking other people's lives for the pure fun of it. And let's face it, they had it coming.

Reficul's grin quickly faded. "Do they?" He asked rhetorically, his voice darkening as he became austere toward the matter.

Kazuma couldn't form an answer to that, not that it had been an actual question. But he still could not come up with a better retort than a definite "yes".

"They deserved what was coming." Ref told him, flat out and refusing to see this issue as being anything else than what he had said before. "Unworthy to walk the earth. Hence why they will not be missed."

"So says you! What about their families?" Kazuma barked his retort, now angry at the man. He then looked back at the contents within the jug. "And you can't give her that! What if it is riddled with disease?"

The room around them darkened, the place now as dark as it was outside.

The Martial Arts Master couldn't tell whether if it was either his student or the other god who was doing this. Hell, there was a possibility that it could be both! The two were at it, figuratively pointing guns at one another, and that was something he definitely didn't want to be in the middle of.

Both of their eyes were blazing in this darkness.

"Indecisive, are we?" Ref admonished right back at him, baring his teeth for him to see. "It's fine, I tested it."

Kazuma almost launched himself right at him, but stopped dead short, for he was mindful that Irei was still in his lap. "So that's why you reek of that smell!" He roared at him. "And not because you practically slaughtered them!"

"Yes, I did!" Reficul admitted, stating his words with undeniably high sense of pride. And at the same time, he was biting back his own anger, and with his own rage came a sense of chaotic joy. "Do you think you can manage to dissuade me? After all, I require sustenance as well." He hissed, revealing his fangs to him, to show him what type of creature he truly was.

And Ref had long fangs at that, and much more strikingly intimidating than the other vampires, which made him appear all the more frightening. His teeth enticed the fear in people.

The psychic immediately moved back from him, taken by surprise by this newfound revelation. That "The God of All Demons" was not a "demon" after all, but was instead a "blood sucking DEVIL". He didn't know how it had eluded him, but he had not known this up until now. He held onto the Halfling for the dearness of life, shielding her with his arms in an attempt to protect her and not himself.

_"My new best friend is a Devil."_ He thought, his chest heaving for almost having a panic attack. _"What else is there to be known about him? That he is some sort of prince straight out of Hell itself?"_

Little did the psychic knew, he had hit the nail right on the head with that quick estimate.

The dark prince heard this and saw the fear his mate's eyes. His face fell, now crestfallen. It had not been in his best interests to scare him, at least not in this way. True, he was a creep and he did revel in people's fears of him… But he never wanted to cause his mate any harm, nor frighten him away from himself.

The darkness immediately lifted, evacuating the vicinity with most haste.

"Enough." He demanded, moving in towards Kazuma.

Kazuma flinched slightly, afraid of what he was going to do to him. He had never been in this situation before. And this was the first time he had met Karma Beast in person.

Reficul saw this, but didn't falter. He leaned back down, to be closer to him. "My sun and my moon…" He crooned in a choked whisper, taking his hands and caressing the other's face, demonstrating his love and affection for him rather than stating it in words.

The psychic didn't know what to think at first, but then realized that it had never been in his friend's attention to hurt him, nor would he ever.

No, those red eyes showed something… An emotion much deeper, more profound and held much more meaning, something he had never seen before when looking straight into the eyes of another.

Was it love? Sadly, he couldn't tell. He had never had the privilege to know, not even in Yukina's own gaze. What he saw in Ref's eyes ranged more true of the word's meaning, more than he had ever seen.

"I went through all this trouble, at least grant me the satisfaction of receiving your gratitude." Ref spoke in a sincere, gentle voice; despite how deep, dark and rough it naturally sounded. But then, out of the blue, he cracked the most provocative grin; appearing like a dastardly scoundrel, with his eyes hinting his desires of wanting to provide him the wildest ride. "I could, after all, achieve satisfaction by other means." He added. He wasn't at all really subtle, even when attempting to be.

Sun sighed to himself.

Oh, The Dark Lord just HAD to ruin the moment. Again. Just when he was SO close. But this wasn't something new for him, unfortunately.

Kazuma's temperature raised in his face, now blushing profusely at Ref's latter comment. He then growled at him, miffed that he had to be such a pervert.

Ref chuckled in his face, savoring this moment. He then leaned in closer to bump his nose with his own.

Kazuma knew what he wanted, but he was not in the mood to comply. So, instead, in retaliation, he pushed the god back, pressing the two fingers of his left hand against the other's forehead.

Reficul swiftly took hold of this opportunity, clasping the hand into his own before then nuzzling his fingers and inner palm, and taking in his scent all the while.

Kazuma's breath hitched in his throat, not having expected that he would even turn this around. In fact, he was amazed. Amazed at him and amazed at his own heart, which began to beat so passionately when he felt the warm and tender caress of the man's lips against his own skin. Kazuma then bit his bottom lip, forming deep craters into the plush flesh, as he beheld the actions of his friend.

After kneeling down on one knee, Reficul took the heat up a notch, by turning the physic's hand over and began hungrily kissing the back of his hand. First starting with the middle knuckles of his fingers, up to the base, and even so much as beyond the hand itself. Sucking, playfully nipping here and there, and tasting him with his tongue in circular motions. He was careful not break his mate's skin whenever he grazed his teeth against his soft, pale flesh. And both of his hands were now caressing, running up, down, and around his mate's arm, all the while holding it in place.

And as for Kazuma, he was a speechless as he was breathless. He was practically on the brink of panting. He was about to get an erection from all of this.

And whilst he performed such an erotic display, the dark god himself was being turned on, and it was all the more evident as his member began to swell, throbbing against his tight pants.

Sun tried hard not to whistle at the steamy act, let alone watch the interaction between the two. But he was just as much as a pervert as any, if not more, himself. Other than that, he was pretty much elated, delighted that something was happening between the two.

Oh, there was definitely attraction there! Most certainly. Even a blind person such as Yomi could see it, if not sense it.

The Chinese deity then fought a laugh, seeing how his student was trying desperately to shake his own arousal off. The orange haired lad was shaking his right leg, bouncing it up and down on the balls of his foot. His student was also squeezing his left knee numb, using his somewhat freer hand to do so. This was just all too amusing for him, although he wouldn't doubt that his student's own feelings weren't all that mutual.

Love is beautiful, is it not?

The two of them were affecting each other, but it seemed that Kazuma was definitely getting most of it; especially with the way Ref was sucking and nibbling on the tips of his fingers. The dark god was rubbing off on him, whether he consciously realized it or not.

Ref then stood back up, finally, and with grace; even whilst he lapped his tongue sensually over his teeth and fangs. He then had the audacity to wiggle his tongue right at him in a serpentine manner, like some sort of rock star, with his expression befitting the look of what is dementedly evil. But in his eyes, his need and hunger for him shined ever strong. It goes to say that he really wasn't all that satisfied, obviously wanting more contact from his mate, but for now he was just going to have to tease him. Even as going as far as to break him of his shyness, if he had to; which he found to be a rather nuisance.

"There will be a time when you must pick a side." He stated, still towering right over the psychic. "You will have to step up to the plate and choose."

"Oh, gods." Kazuma whined, his voice rasping more than usual. He was obviously mortified about what had just transpired between the both of them.

Had this been some sort of twisted way to win him over?

And who knew that his hands were one of his erogenous spots?

He, himself, surely didn't. Not until now.

However, he couldn't deny it. After all, he, himself, was notably a pervert. That was one thing that everybody had known about him that had not been wrong. He dreamed of sex, more than anyone would possibly believe. He even so much as thought of it on a daily basis, his own mind practically stayed in the gutter.

He knew Ref possessed a sexual deviance about him, but now he was considering that his friend was more than that… It was easy to believe that Ref was a god at this game, possessing the almighty given power to reel in whomever he pleased.

Quoting the song by Gene Simmons; "They call me Doctor Love".

That's what Ref reminded him of, especially with that long tongue of his.

And as comical as it may sound, he had "no place for hiding" and "no place to run". Somehow he had triggered the gun, Ref's obviously enormous "gun".

_"I want to do **bad** things to you."_ Ref said in his head, putting their "mental connection" to good use.

Oh, hell.

But he had a child sitting on his left leg. This was something that he wished that had never happened. No. Not before her little virgin eyes. And, if she was any older, it would have probably marked her for life. He was highly fortunately for that, at least.

And this didn't affect Ref at all, being that he didn't even think before acting. And Kazuma was fairly peeved at that.

But then again, the dark god could have done worse. Much worse.

By now, Kazuma could see very clearly that the deity was trying to hold himself back, as much as he could possible.

Ref looked crestfallen again, as though he was being tortured by an unseen force, his own resolve failing him. Groaning in his throat as he tried to suppress his urges, cursing vulgarities under his breath.

Oh, Kazuma was SO glad that Botan was not here to witness any of this.

And then, Ref pulled out a bottle. Perhaps it had been an attempt to change the subject. But this was Ref, so know better than to think that.

"Here. Use this bottle." He told him. "It will make feeding her all the more easy."

"Do I even want to know where you got that thing, too?" Kazuma remarked with a grunt. "…No. On second thought, I really don't. Be my luck, you stole that from some baby in a carriage somewhere."

Reficul looked at him for a brief moment, then turned his head up and laughed madly at his assumption.

_"This must be the other side of him."_ Kazuma mused, reflecting on his sudden changes in personality.

Indeed, he was still impressed, but not amused. Not that he could say much, if he could manage to say anything at all, and neither did he have any right to.

Kazuma closed his eyes and sighed in defeat, but was now fortunate that his own provocation had passed for the most part; the miniature tent in his pants having gone back down.

He then began to prepare the bottle, filling it up with the flesh blood despite how much it made him uneasy to do so. The child needed to be fed, so he had no choice but to go against his own wishes. Besides, it wasn't like he had never seen blood before. He just hated the idea of actually using it as a food source. It went against his moral code, something which he was about to break for the first time in his life.

But as Yusuke had once said to him… What are "rules" if they are not to be broken?

Well, here he was, about to do something…something that even Yusuke himself wouldn't pull his own self to do.

And surely, from the moment he had stuck the rubber nipple into her mouth, she was drinking the stuff. In fact, she was guzzling the crimson fluid down like there was no tomorrow. And Ref was watching him, grinning there fiendishly, at him, for he had his own taste of victory in this argument.

Seeing the psychic feed the child that blood, with her in resting in his arms…somehow…made the psychic seem all the more beautiful. Not to mention all the more arousing, at least for this Dark God it was.

It was like the old days all over again, when Kaguya used to take in both human and demon children, both protecting and taking care of them. And though not many people saw it, she was a good person, especially towards those less fortunate or had gotten the better chance to know her.

By that time, something else was affecting the psychic.

The scent of the blood, the coppery aroma that his nostrils had detected since Ref had first entered into the room…

_...It smelled…oddly enough…quite…delicious..._

Something he dared not to admit, not even to himself.

Kazuma sucked in his breath through his teeth.

Sun watched him as he finished his grapes; eating them mostly for the fact that, that is where wine comes from. Yes, it was silly, but that is Sun for you.

Anyway, back on topic...

He was watching his student's behavior. How his hands were shaking and how his eyes were glistening with hunger. Sun considered this detail immensely, noting also the dark circles around the young man's eyes. He knew now that the boy was undoubtedly suffering inside, and that his human self was slowly on the verge of dying.

Kazuma was gradually passing away before his eyes, that his human heart must have been damaged and that it was no doubt being under attack by his own blood. The blood of The Devil had awakened, having been triggered by the seals and the emotional trauma and stress that the others had reacquainted him with.

Ref knew this as well, and though it pained him greatly to see his lover in this state of affairs, he knew it had to come. Oh, but deep down, he dreaded having to watch this. He didn't want to see his mate go through this yet again, just as he had with Kaguya.

But Kaguya had changed somewhat, he figured, since it was obvious to him that her own demise had scarred her very soul. This was a real nightmare waiting to happen, but he was more than ready for it. She was his nightmare and, for what it was worth, he loved her every single bit. He wouldn't have her any other way, nor would he ever change anything about her.

Kazuma was HIS monster.

Oh, how he desperately wanted to take him. He felt so alive when he had touched him, but thinking about it now made him die inside all the more.

Sadly, he had to wait. And gods, he hated it SO much.

Love doesn't come easy and neither did it always play fair.

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

Well, I've decided to continue the fic. I would like to thank all who have supported me in this time, giving me encouragement against the trolls of FFN. Thank you all!

AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter. I worked all night on it just for you readers.


	49. Ch8

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is about Hiei. For all you Hiei fans out there, here's one of his times to shines. Well, somewhat. Not really. But Hiei is the prime focus of this one.

Also, keep in mind...that one of the pairings of this fic is "HieixBotan".

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature. This chapter has plenty of it. Including the author's comments down below. There's also mentionings of sex and bisexuality. Details about man-bits and other things.

* * *

**FIRE AND ICE**

**[Hiei's Dilemma]**

_Remember that old saying? That "absence makes the heart grow fonder"?_

_Well, a certain fire demon was experiencing something just like that…_

Hiei cursed as he came in through the window in one of the halls, having seen the eroticism that had taken place through the window. He was going to be haunted for the rest of his life.

[_Note: Opening the windows from outside this place were not all that much of an issue, which was perhaps one of the fatal flaws in its construction. All he had to do was slide his blade in through the bottom crack, twist his sword facing vertically, and heave the window open with just a little use of his strength._]

Oddly enough, after having witnessing that little somewhat near of a "peepshow", it reminded him of his own sexual escapades back in Makai.

But not even Yusuke was that dedicated, not enough to focus on one area on the body for so long. He also had a lot of stamina, though his rounds were rather short and lasted fifteen minutes tops. As for how long he lasted in bed, the time span was usually up to two hours, give or take.

Now, Hiei wasn't one to complain… Well, actually he was. But the point is, is that he held so much more staying power. If it was up to him, he could have sex all night long. And Yusuke was more thick than he was long; his member having much more girth. He was about the average size of any male, the measurement being from four to six inches in length, "dick inches" that is; which isn't exactly the same as the inches found on a ruler.

But Hiei was much bigger, much bigger than he was, and not to mention longer; which would come as the most surprise since he was fairly short for a fellow.

[_Not that matters of height ever played a factor concerning the package in a male's pants, though it sure as hell came as a shock for the other male half-breed. To make matters more frank, Yusuke didn't find this "discovery" to be all that fair. He childishly believe that he, himself, had to be bigger._]

Fuck! Even Kuwabara was bigger! He knew this, too, for having caught a glimpse of him when the man was past out on Yusuke's apartment floor that one time, when that idiot's junk had falling out through one of the legs of his boxers. His member almost reached the mid-point of his inner thigh in length; which of course would be logically shorter when standing up erectly, being that he was, in fact, laying down with his legs bent up. Not something he really wanted to see, mind you, but had been done was done.

...Maybe you women wouldn't understand, for this was namely a "MALE sort of thing". Men pride themselves in their all their performances, and their best way to prove that they love someone was to show it physically...and when they are either shunned or let down, it ruins them...hurts them more than you can possibly ever know...

...A male's lover is his support beam, and without one...everything that he is caves in and crashes...

And in this case, Hiei had TWO.

But still...the point is, is this...

All of this was something to be expected, had been expected, since Yusuke was a war demon and not an incubus. Most of his devotion and effort went into the Mazoku's fists. He might have been lustful lecher, but he wasn't all that successful in bed, and neither was he all that romantic. He just wanted to believe that he was, that he was the top ace in everything, including being "the lord of the sack". It was all in his mind.

On a more personal note, concerning the Mozaku Lord: When Yusuke had first entered into their relationship, he barely had any experience at all. Moreover, he was unsure of as to what he should do. Keiko and he didn't have many sexual encounters with one another, despite the fact that the two were married. And apparently, he couldn't fulfill himself in bed that well with the female human, not to mention the fact that he failed to satisfy her needs. But with a little help from them and a lot of practice, and with time, he finally became good at having sex.

...Because you are a pervert, doesn't mean that you are good as what you see in videos or in magazines... Though, Yusuke usually ogled at pinups...

...And like a lot of sad humans these days, due to the years of having been conditioned by society, Yusuke didn't know much iota on how to rely solely upon born instinct...

...And like most humans, he was confused with having to deal with his own hormones...

However, creatures of fire, such as fire demons, were much more sexually inclined. It was in their fiery natures, being that they had so much energy to burn than most others. They burned with passion. And obviously knew what to do, more or less.

[_He didn't know much about his kind, being that he had not even once met a fellow fire demon in person…_

_But he had heard of small tales, ones which involved this race living in the regions of Hell, which was their natural habitat as well as it was their home. And that his father's race was not of that of ordinary demons, but a special breed that can survive the hottest temperatures imaginable. They were also the darkest, most morbid, and fiendish of demons in all of existence. But then again, he had also heard that they were extremely loyal to their leader, devoted entirely to the wishes of their prince._

_Their skin were as green as his was in their true forms, and their hair was black. And the only difference that he had heard was, that unlike him, they possessed horns on the front of their foreheads and had bat-like wings upon their backs in which they took flight with. They looked the spitting images of your classic demons found in human folklore._]

And Hiei had plenty of experience. In fact, he was almost a born natural at doing "the dirty deed". But no one starts out as being absolutely "perfect", that in itself is a HUGE misconception.

But Kurama still picked Yusuke over him.

...He had loved them both, but he loved Kurama first...

He couldn't comprehend that decision, to be brutally honest. Kurama had such a sexual apatite; she craved for physical pleasure much like a druggie hunger after cocaine. And it came to no surprise that it was the fox that delivered most of the ministrations between that pair.

Perhaps, maybe that was what the fox was into. That this was what floated her boat. She wanted to be in control, to play the role that suited a dominatrix rather than to always be the one on the bottom.

...That rose whip of her's was certainly used for something more than merely fighting her enemies...

The more he was with her, the more he understood this.

...And her decision wounded his pride...

As for the fire demon, he wanted someone who could take the heat, let alone last the night with him. He wasn't really an uke, but he honestly couldn't care less which role he played.

Yusuke had won, even though there wasn't supposed to be a victor in this situation. He won, just as he had won everything else; all that a man or demon could ever hope or long for.

And Yusuke had been getting on Hiei's final nerve for quite some time now, even whilst they were far apart; like right now.

Yusuke had also been the first person that Kurama had confided in, the one about her dirty little secret of actually being a female fox in the disguise of a male.

[_They used to be so close nit, the fox and the fire demon, both able to speak to each other about anything..._

_But Kurama also used to be the optimistic one of the three, always able to look on the bright side of any circumstance. He also used to be level headed, but now... He was losing that as well. It was as if he was losing himself, who he was..._ _Correction: Who "she" was, the person whom he had came to know and love._

_Something was amiss. One way or another._

_He had a feeling, a hunch...that they were keeping something from him. Something important._]

Having a wife in human world and taking a mate in demon world was not forbidden, neither was having more than one lover considered a dishonorable act. In fact, polygamy was more common in demon world than it was in the world of humans. And most demons were pansexuals, meaning that they weren't confined to a single sexual preference.

All the same, the fire demon felt exploited, horribly, as though he had been used as some sort of plaything. He was no one's "boy toy" or "pet" thing by his own standards. To consider him such would not only be degrading him, but also an utterly ludicrous thing to do.

Yes, he was a demon, and he had grown up in a world of "no strings attached" affaires, where casual sex meets no end. He could not say that there were any regrets in the bedroom, but he never dreamed that this would end this way.

He had given his heart to the people whom he thought he could trust the most. With all things considering, that the act of giving one's heart was profoundly considered the most sacred of all ordeals amongst his kind… You would think they would have been more appreciative, instead of treating him as though he was the third wheel.

Both Yusuke and Kurama had, unfortunately, turned out to be the wrong persons. The wrong suitors for his affections.

And Hiei doesn't give his love easily. No, he doesn't give in easily to anyone!

Kurama, being a once thieving fox, was naturally insatiable. As for Yusuke, he was a "greedy Gretchen", always putting his own needs first before anyone else's. The two obviously belonged with one another. And they were both now uncompromisable.

As for Hiei, he had undoubtedly been involved in a senseless "game". A game in which the Mazoku Lord and the fox had pulled, both in on this scheme together.

Hiei was a thinker, one of the many aspects of himself that he did best. He wasn't one for rashness, let alone irrationality. He hated misjudging his opponents and he most certainly hated being underestimated… But to be treated as though he was a "fool", that was unforgivable. And he was most certainly not one for "games", especially when they were committed on his behalf.

There were two things that he regretted the most: One being that he had entrusted them with his sister, and the other being that he had foolishly entrusted them with his heart.

Yukina was being the noble one here by far, being that she had insisted to help him as much as she possibly could in all her power. Hiei, on the other hand, felt as though he had let her down. If only he hadn't reunited with her, she wouldn't be in this mess from the start. She was putting her very life on the line for him and his own sake!

He blamed himself, he couldn't help but to.

And now, they were both involved in this war. A war which had changed both of his lovers for the worst.

Needless to say, he wasn't pleased in the slightest bit. He hadn't been for awhile, much longer than he had anticipated.

He didn't care for the lesser demons, but he most certainly did care for his friend, Mukuro, and his twin!

But know this, and do not dare forget it…

Nobody crosses him and neither does anyone dare "double-cross" him, not if their lives depended on it.

_"Yukina…"_ He thought, after having closed the window behind him. _"If anything so much as anything happens to you, you have my word. I will avenge you, and I will deliver an experience that they have never dreamed of, one that will befall upon them with a sudden swiftness. They will feel my wrath and regret ever having been alive!"_

"Hiei? Is that you?"

**...TBC...**

* * *

**Author's comments:**

Not much to say other than I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I know it's not about Kuwabara, but Hiei needed some spotlight, too. If inquiring minds wanted to know what was going on with Hiei, right above is the imput. Sorry that there is no action going on as yet. It's getting there, I promise. I just can't leave the important stuff out of the picture to get to it.

Again, in case anyone has overlooked, as I've stated in the last chapter... I am continuing the story, as many have wished.

So, don't fret. I'll still be writing.


	50. Ch9

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is about Hiei. For all you Hiei fans out there, here's one of his times to shines. Well, somewhat. Not really. But Hiei is the prime focus of this one.

Also, I'm going by Botan's Japanese voice in this, not her American one.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**THE KILLING MOON**

_"Bleed no reflection_  
_Upon the waters that you fear_  
_Make things happen_

_Accept no resignation_  
_For some life has been cruel_  
_You have set the mood_

_Thinking about you... Luna_

_Lay the serpent's egg_  
_In this world of make believe_  
_And make things real_

_My seed of a lunacy_  
_Was a sign made to resist_  
_A mood set from birth_

_Thinking about you... Luna_

_Show me your moon burns_  
_Take me as the moon burns_  
_The freezing moon_  
_Making things real for me_  
_The killing Moon_  
_Making things happen for me_

_Luna - all above_  
_Wound of light in the enemy skies_  
_Make things happen for me_

_On the eve of self destruction_  
_On the eve of all can be...Thinking about you"_

-Moonspell; "Luna"

**oOo**

_"Hiei? Is that you?"_

He heard a female voice come from his immediate right, one that sounded as pristine and innocent as a doll's.

The fire demon turned his head with most haste, with his garnet orbs also shifting towards that precise direction.

There, slowly approaching up to him through the darkness of the hall, was the blue haired reaper.

Her voice had sounded weak and timid, more than usual whenever she addressed him. She was always anxious of the fire demon, but this time it seemed as though she was entirely afraid of something else.

Botan halted in her steps, now standing in the dim light and about a yard away from him.

"Are you alright?" She inquired, her gaze setting on his face.

Hiei snorted at her in return, glaring daggers to shoo her away.

He hadn't come inside to be asked personal questions, or to be nurtured for that matter. If had know that was going to happen, he would have remained outside.

He had received enough of that trash from his own so-called lovers.

The reaper jumped back the moment she received the dirty look. She was unsure of herself, about whether or not if she could probe answers from him. This was Hiei, not Kurama, and from her experience, asking HIM short of anything was definitely near ineffectual.

"Hey, I was hoping that I could ask you something…" She said, her legs shaking underneath her. She tried to withhold back her nerves, but it was still obvious that she was fretful around him. "If you don't mind me asking, that is."

The fire demon blinked at her, his expression softening somewhat.

He had to hand it to her for being able to stand there for this long, without turn around and high tailing it. He might be short, but many of his enemies, who had enough sense, trembled in his presence. And, well, she was at least smart enough to not laugh at his threats as though they were some joke; like Yusuke does…

Yusuke was an ass, through and through, and nothing was about to change that. Mind you, he was a different kind of "asshole" than Hiei and Narakumaru was; by far, the fire demon and the dark god had more in common with one another with how they dealt with matters. The Halfling was of a more immature breed, the kind that laughs at you when your face falls down in a puddle of mud.

"Hn. Go on." He spoke. Yet, he sent a sincere warning with his eyes, a clear message that read that she better not dare waste his time with any subjects of unimportance.

Botan didn't have to think about her question long, knowing why she wanted to speak to him, but she still had to consider how she was going to begin this conversation of their's. Plus, she had to tread carefully with her words, or else Hiei would decide to brush her aside and ignore her. "Kuwabara and Yusuke used to be such good friends. They were like brothers. What happened to that?"

"Friends?" Hiei tried not to laugh at her belief. "How idealistic of you sentient beings, you're all misguided fools…every last single one of you." He stated, his tone cold and unsympathetic. And never minding the fact that Reficul was near, he boldly added; "Even that other fool knew that their association would never last. Why else would he allow the psychic to step down from the team?"

"Hiei…" Botan sighed out. "I…I don't know."

"Kuwabara did the right thing." He told her. "However, he had been excluded as a member of the Tentai long before he had called an official quits. That Halfling just wanted to make a spectacle of everything, is all. Wanted to rub his face in it, like humans who rub a dog's nose into a steaming pile of excrement for being disobedient. Still, it was all for a reaction."

_"A reaction?"_ Botan pondered over his words. _"…But why? Why would he risk something as valuable as a friendship for something so childish like that?"_

But then again, this WAS Yusuke they were talking about. Sometimes, that man lacked all common sense.

"It wasn't a year…" Hiei continued, closing his eyes as he thought back. However, he kept his third eye open. "It wasn't even a year after he had been rehired that he had started changing. They were subtle changes at first, too little for anyone to notice. One change lead to another, until finally…he is what he is today." He reopened his eyes, only then to narrow them, now dressing-down at her. "But you, like most people, are too blind to see that."

The fairy stared at him. "Hiei… What are you saying?"

The demon heaved a gentle, quiet sigh through his nose. "Hn. Woman, do you not recall the night when Kuwabara had disappeared?"

She thought for a moment, pressing her right index finger upon her bottom lip. "You mean the second time he had gone missing?"

A smug smirk formed upon his visage. "Well, 'forsaken' would be the more accurate term." He corrected.

Botan scowled at him. She was sick of hearing that sort of baloney. "Don't you think that you're exaggerating?" She countered. "Yusuke said that Kuwabara could handle himself… I don't see what this has to do with-"

"That's your problem." He harshly interjected, pointing his finger at her in accusation. "You never see… For that was the night when the Mazoku had decided to exclude Kuwabara from participating in any further missions. That night he had left Kuwabara alone, defenseless, to face the demons that sought after his life… And it was that night that Yusuke had moved on."

Botan's face fell, having realized that she had completely forgotten that incident. And she was ashamed for it, too. She had forgotten Kuwabara's pain and emotional anguish, mostly because she didn't want to remember. Kuwabara had started to become a different person, which had sadly began from that point in time.

"What was Yusuke doing anyway?" She asked, curious to know. And it didn't take a "brain surgeon" to know why she did.

"You don't want to know," He answered, leaving it at that. "But let's just say… To him, it was far more important than saving his _beloved side kick_. He undermined the fact that when demons, especially those of lower ranking, set their eyes upon a target, their minds are set upon it. Kuwabara had attracted their attention, but demons of that caliber are far too incompetent to know the reasons why. And unlike Yusuke, that fool attracts darkness to him like a magnet, like moths to the flame; which would explain why characters such as Ani Toguro had targeted him."

Botan stared at him in disbelief, surprised that Hiei would know so much about the psychic. In fact, it seemed as though he knew more about the psychic than the rest of the others had, counting Yusuke. It was a hard thing to take in, almost impossible to believe, considering that the fire demon rarely ever got along with the orange haired man.

Then Hiei pointed out something that was most significant, much to her obvious astonishment; "Remember, Kuwabara had broken the Kekkai barrier, let alone was he their path when they broke free through the first barrier."

"But it was Koenma who had ordered for the Kekkai barrier to be permanently removed." She told him, her brow knitting in confusion. "He had gotten the SDF to take it down."

"A foolish move he had pulled on his part…" Hiei replied. "Likewise, Yusuke has a selfish side to himself, a side that everyone seems to foolishly overlook, time and time again. He had grown to see Kuwabara as a liability, and that night it had not been any different." He continued to enlighten, not sparing her of the details. "It dealt a fatal blow to their idiotic relationship… Especially when considering the fact that, a week and a half later, was when Kuwabara's human companions had also been eradicated; hacked into pieces. But problems usually do come in threes, if not more… And the demons wanted their reprisal, or whatever you wish to call it. Call it 'lust', if you want."

Botan remembered that moment all too well by now. But what Hiei had said was a much more gentle description of their demise.

Kuwabara had lied in bed for weeks, bedridden by the doctor's orders.

He had been sent to a special clinic, the kind where clients can walk in without any appointments necessary, and where they not only take care of the physically wounded but also the mentally troubled. There he was to receive help from a local shrink, after he had declared to the others that he sensed his gang being in danger. The man was positively going mad over his visions, so much so that he was becoming incompetent over the matter. He said that he was being followed and tortured by demons, but there clearly had been none to be seen.

Everyone thought and believed that he had been purposely inflicting himself, that he was the one causing his own wounds. So he had been sent to the clinic on the account of being "disturbed" and that his visions were entirely psychological, induced by the extreme amount of stress that had been brought to him by the lack of sleep.

At that time, getting him psychiatric help was considered the best option…

But…

What had happened to those boys had been indescribable, and what had happened to their bodies… Well, they were hard to tell apart.

Their faces were mauled completely off, while their skulls had been bashed inward. Their fingers had been bitten down to stubs, their legs and arms ripped and sliced apart. The rest of them was twisted and mangled, their innards exposed, and the corpses barely any meat left on their bones. And all of the remains had been composted all into one pile.

It was nothing that a person with any weak constitution could handle. But know this, they had been on their way to visit Kuwabara at the clinic.

After receiving the terrible news, Kuwabara blamed himself for their deaths, wailing and weeping that he had not been there to save them. He was more of a wreck then than he had ever been before.

She had never seen him cry so hard before, since as long as she had known him. Even Shizuru admitted to the fact that he had never been so emotionally upset. He made such an up stir that night, that the doctors had little choice but to come in and literally strap him down to the bed.

Sadly, their souls were nowhere to be found.

Koenma had a search put out, but nothing had turned up. Not even one single trace of their essence had been located. But he could do nothing more than that, having been forbidden by his father to continue on any further. In fact, it had not been in his power to do anything without the rest of Reikai's approval or consent. He had disobeyed his father's orders for just trying. But Koenma couldn't tell Kuwabara that. He honestly didn't have it in him to do so.

**…**

_"Alas, it is with an uneasy heart, that I have no choice but to consider the fact…that their souls have been devoured." Koenma's diagnoses flashed through her mind. "Please, I know it's too much to ask of you, Botan… But don't tell Kuwabara this. For his own sake, spare him of the details. In fact, pretend as though you don't know a thing. Try your best not to think about it."_

_He had been upset at the circumstances as much as any normal person would or should be. It had happened on his watch and he had failed to prevent it. He blamed himself for the tragedy, that much was clear._

**…**

The clinic permitted Kuwabara's leave a week later after that incident. His release had came just in time, right before the final days of the funerals. Though the ceremonies were performed with caskets closed, Kuwabara had been given the privilege to see… To see what had been done to them.

Once they were six feet under, Kuwabara had placed a single red rose upon the tops of each of their graves.

He then swore to himself… He swore to Shizuru, to Yukina, and to her, the only people who had attended that he had invited… That he was going to do anything possible, everything in his power, to bring justice into this "mad" world.

That day was the day, and it was after that day when Kuwabara had stopped talking.

It had been raining, as if the skies had been ripped open by the sky guardians. It poured for weeks, beginning a day after their death and a week after the conclusion of the memorial services. The world had never seemed so gloomy, the dark clouds shielding the city below from all the light of the sun.

Yusuke had refused the invites to the funerals, he even so much as missed those poor boys' wakes.

He had put it all off, saying that he could not handle any emotional drama at the time. He even went as far as to mention that he was never once close to any of them, that he hadn't known them all too well.

But what he was really trying to say was, that since they weren't any of his own personal friends, he didn't see any reason to attend.

That had broken the rest of Kuwabara's already aching and fractured heart. The psychic had really wanted him to be there for his own personal support. He had wanted him to be there with him the most.

It was after the "turn down" that Kuwabara started changing. He started distancing himself from everyone, including his own sister. That, and he hadn't spoken to Yusuke or Kurama for months. However, neither of the two ever tried to reconcile with him.

Hiei and Yukina were the only demons who had bothered to say anything to him. But as for the humans, like Yusuke and Kurama, they felt it was best to leave him be.

...Not even his rivals, the thugs on the streets, wanted to mess with him. They had seen something in his eyes, something that gave them all the "heebee-jeebees"...

This went especially for Yusuke, though he had seen nothing peculiar. He just didn't want to intervene or intrude upon the man's privacy, and also because he believed that the man was too busy wallowing in his own self-pity and regret. Yusuke was never any good at comforting people, let alone being supportive, at least that is what Keiko had said. "That big baby is too busy being macho" was her explanation, referring to his actions and of his refusing to be "the shoulder to cry on".

**…**

_"Yusuke thrives on bullying others." Keiko had told her awhile back, back when she was still here at Sun Wukong's. "It's how he gets his kicks. He picks on me almost every day, telling me how fat and ugly I'm becoming. I swear, that boy has no respect! Nor does he have a shred of decency… Yusuke can be such a jerk, more on most days than some. However… I think he's getting worse with age. …He's changing again, Botan, and I don't think I can follow him anymore. My heart can't take it."_

**…**

Kuwabara had finished the remainder of his days in high school in stark silence. He spoke not a word to anyone, not until the event when he had purposely slammed his fist in the back of Yusuke's neck.

And to make matters worse, it was during those silent months that he had found Yukina in the arms of another. Those arms were none other than Kurama's. Hiei had also confronted Kuwabara, in regards towards the psychic's relationship with the koorime, days before.

All of these tragedies had began about a month after the last tournament he had attended, the very tournament he had once gone missing in. But if it hadn't had been for Yomi, something terrible would have happened to him then.

[_But as to WHY in the world Yomi was following him that day, she had no earthly clue. In fact, everyone was clueless about his intentions. He even went as far as taking Kuwabara on a tour of his kingdom, to show him the world that he lived in. The others tried to get Kuwabara to refuse the proposal, of course, but he ended up going with the demon anyway._]

How could she have forgotten? She supposed she had been too caught up in her own point of view, too preoccupied and ready to believe the others rather than to spend time on the whole picture, to really give anything some genuine, rational thought on the matters.

Kuwabara's world had crashed around him, but no one was there for him.

"And in case you have forgotten," Hiei pointed out, again bringing up some of the most important factors of them all. "One cannot control another demon's urges, let alone their ravenous appetites. But like Enki, Yusuke began to believe that he could, that this petty attempt is feasibly possible. But the demons weren't after Yusuke this time. No, they were after Kuwabara instead."

The reaper fiddled nervously with the bottom of her shirt, she had become uncomfortable with the subject. She had remembered why she wanted to forget in the first place, but now the cat was back out of the bag.

But Hiei was right, people can't change others. No, it was as Keiko had mentioned to Shizuru. People can only change themselves. And like Hiei had stated, a person cannot change a demon's instincts. Not when what he or she has is genetic, owing it up to the countless years of heritage…

And by doing such, would lead them to waste away from starvation.

She had heard that even the most intellectual demons were now trying to devour each other, ever sense the band on using humans as a food source was put in place.

"Tell me," Hiei said, now changing the subject somewhat. "Have you ever noticed, in the past… Kuwabara's eyes?"

"I would like to think so." was her answer, now wondering where he was going with this.

"Then you would know that his eyes would change." He continued. He then worded his sentences well, to see if she honestly knew what he was talking about; "And I am not speaking about the flickers in his eyes, whenever a sudden rage builds up within himself. That his eyes would change whenever there was a new moon, out of the conventional norm."

However, much to his disappointment, Botan looked at him as though she was clearly stupid.

"What?" was all she can manage to make out.

It was obvious to him that she was ignorant.

"So, you don't." Hiei charged, aggravated. He hated having to deal with stupid people, let alone the blind. "How predictable, then again you were never were really bright yourself." Botan glared at him for the comment, but he could care less whether he had hurt her feelings or not. "Whenever the moon is dark, when Luna turns her back against the world, his eyes were different than other days. In the day, his amber eyes were as a cold blue; like a dark, clouded blue sky. But as for the night itself, his eyes were a shining black. There was no reflection to be seen in them, day or night, and the light that shined from them was dim; like moonbeams blanketing the blackest of waters, black as the rivers of death found in Hell."

The latter statement would explain where he had gotten his dragon from, for those were the waters they were often found swimming in. He had came across the river when trying to piece his ancestry together.

"No," Botan answered in defeat, after having turned her head away from him. He had a point, as much as she didn't like to admit it. "I'm afraid to say that…is something I've never noticed."

He sighed, rolling his eyes at her. "As I've said, you are no different than the others, for they, too, had failed to take notice. But nothing escapes my eyes, not if I can help it. I see just about everything."

Botan turned her back forward, looking back at him. "But what does this have to do with Kuwabara and Yusuke's relationship?"

She still wanted to know. Nevertheless, who knew that Hiei would convey so much information? She knew he wasn't stupid, not in the least, but to get so much from HIM…

She had always considered him as "the silent type", but after today, she could clearly see that he was not.

"Because it happened on one of those nights." He told her. "When Kuwabara had been alone for hours, trapped in an unending darkness."

The reaper's rosy pink eyes shined with interest. She knew very little about what had transpired that night.

And he was right, that there had been a new moon that night.

"That night," Hiei continued. "Something had clicked inside of the human. His eyes had became cold and focused, as if something was fighting to be unchanged, to be in absolute control." He then began to draw himself distant on the subject. "…And it was up to me…to pull him out of it…"

Botan was baffled by what he meant, let alone his sudden change in behavior. "Pull him out of it? Pull him out of what?"

Botan didn't think that her question would him lead to what he was about to do…

She watched as he pulled up his tattered shirt, pinning the fabric under his armpits as he unwounded the bindings around his waist. She stared in utter shock at what she was to see next, to what he was revealing to her. She couldn't help but to.

Upon his abdomen to be a unsightly and horrendous scar, the remains of a third degree burn and with it, other various scar marks that appeared to by done viciously by some creature's claws or talons.

This unsightly souvenir had came to pass before the first seal had been broken.

Now, remember that old saying, folks… _**That when the devil deals, "The Devil deals it hard".**_

That, or Kuwabara must have been smoking "something" real awful that night.

Kuwabara's eyes had, indeed, burned that night, but unlike any other time that the fire demon had so far seen. From his recollection upon the matter… There had been an emptiness, a blackness that seemed so hollow that it appeared as though the sockets were utterly vacant.

"Oh my…gods! What in the gods' names happened to you?" Botan shouted, her voice exclaiming in horror.

"The human, idiot woman!" Hiei snapped, then pulled his shirt right back down. "I counted every minute, every second that passed, believing that I actually had no other alternative but to unleash my black dragon in order to bring that insufferable hell to an end. He's an entirely different creature when the moon bares no reflection. There's a callousness in him, one that is unchained whenever the moon is black. I hadn't realized that, not until that night, when the incident had occurred. I almost the lost the battle of trying to hold him back."

He was uneasy of having to admit that, that Kuwabara was almost able to take him out. His heart pulsed in his veins at the very memory. That day, he had never had so much adrenaline pumping through him, not even when he had fought or sparred with Yusuke.

But it wasn't "pleasure" he had felt that night, far from it. It was fear.

He had even went as far as to stab Kuwabara in the gut, through his body with his katana, but not even that was enough to subdue him. The monster just kept coming, and his body kept restoring itself.

The only thing he could do, in the end, was to knock him unconscious; which proved to be more trouble than one would believe. The monster that was the human…was much faster…and he had "claws"; not to mention that he had monstrous, sharp incisors.

…Growling and hissing at him, baring his sharp teeth as he tried to tear into the fire demon's meat…

Back then, at that terrifying moment, Hiei could have sworn that he was trying to devour him. He had the scars to prove it, all around his torso and even on his legs.

The both of them had awakened to crimson skies that morning, both of them lying on the forest floor. Both of them were covered in blood, which was no one else's but the fire demon's. The gel in Kuwabara's hair had been diluted away, his hairstyle undone by both blood and sweat. And as for Hiei, himself, he had passed out from both pain and exhaustion... Not to mention, that the blood loss had weakened him.

Needless to say, Kuwabara had no other choice but to be the one to carry him back.

And it was with that occasion, that he had made a mission to get Yukina as far away from him as possible. But in order for him to do so, he had to devise a clever plan. He would have to get Yukina to break his heart, even though he knew it was risky.

On the other hand, the fire demon had became somewhat, just a little bit, fond of him ever since that night.

But he decided to keep all of that a secret, even from his own sister and especially from Kuwabara.

But what IF he had told them? What would they have done?

_**Seeing is believing**_, it's a fact that one must consider.

But it probably would have not been good.

Botan bit her bottom lip, thinking about what must have happened. "Does Yusuke and Kurama know about this?"

"No. I told them that another demon had been responsible for the injuries." He answered. "The very same demons that tried to kill Kuwabara, though he had been the one to take half of them down himself."

She frowned at him. "Figures. Your pride would never accept that a human being can somehow managed to-"

Hiei interrupted her accusations; from his point of view, they were completely illogical. "Do not judge me, woman. I did so in order to protect him and his privacy. If word got out about what had happened, do you honestly believe things would have turned out better? Those two…would have killed him. I also had the better mind to do so, myself. ...But as you see, I didn't. However, do not think so well of the others. For one, Yoko is highly noted for his callousness... He is not as merciful as I am. Not that Yusuke would prove to be any different, considering nowadays."

"That's absurd!" Botan almost screamed at him, glaring at him with rage for his idea on things. "That doesn't sound like them! That doesn't sound like them at all! Yusuke would have never…" She paused for a moment in this argument, having realized something. "…You're beginning to sound just like Kuwabara."

"Because his eyes have been opened!" Hiei flatly told her. "And it goes to show how little you know. You know nothing about them. Nothing at all. Kuwabara might have been like a brother to half-breed, ONCE. But let me make this clear to you, Kurama is far much closer to him. He had been ever since Sensui's first defeat, from the very moment when Yusuke's demon blood had first awakened inside of him. And when Yusuke had returned to demon world, the closer the two had became." He then narrowed his eyes at her, returning her own disgust with him. "And you forget, fairy, that they are demons. Our kind is not at all like humans. We're not as nearly as pathetic as they are."

Botan breathed in, taking in a deep breath. "So… Tell me then, since you happen to be so sure you know everything… Is Kuwabara one, too?"

Hiei was silent for a moment.

He knew that, with all things considering, the truth. That Kuwabara was, in fact, something else. Something more. However, he was not about to reveal such things to her.

No, it would do more harm than good. And he was not about to put his own life in danger, to put his life on the line and have Narakumaru coming after him, for having had told her.

"Kuwabara possesses a relentless amount of dedication, that much I will tell you." He spoke finally. "His determination is unfathomable." Continuing, he looked her straight in the eyes. "That fool doesn't know when to give up, or when to call a quits, once his mind has been set. And I'll have you know, that it plays on a single track, one track alone… As though he has only enough room for one emotion at a time. And whatever emotion that is in play, it has to fade away completely before he can manage to feel another in its place."

The fairy thought about his later statement for a moment. "Well… That sounds like him, I guess."

However, not withstanding all these details and bits of information, which were compiling upon one another… She wasn't so sure as if she could believe it or not, even with all of the evidence.

Hell, she had been in the grunt of Kuwabara's moment of expressing single-emotions, at first hand.

So, what was so hard to believe?

Nothing, when one actually though about it.

"All I saw was death in his eyes that night." The demon informed, obviously dreading on divulging his own, personal fears. "His skin was also rather pale, in fact, remarkably. I reiterate, something had been triggered; like the instincts of a feral beast. This is why that old wench had refused to train him." He said, now speaking about Genkai. "Unlike you, she foresaw the horror he would bring. That he's too much like Toguro. Once he's begun, he cannot be stopped. He's a killing machine."

Botan stared at him, paling instantly as the words "killing machine" echoed in her mind.

_"Kuwabara's…a killing machine?"_ She thought over with incredulity.

She could honestly a test to that, seeing how he had helped destroy those demons around four days ago.

Kuwabara had changed, she knew that now better than anyone, but… To consider him as a monster?

No. No, Hiei had to be wrong. He had to be.

He had to be wrong about Kuwabara, and most certainly had to be wrong about Yusuke and Kurama. All three were the kindest, sweetest of people she had ever known.

But both Yusuke and Kurama weren't here to clear their names, however, to ease her doubts and fears that were now manifesting in herself. Her doubts about them, while her fears were for Kuwabara.

And Kuwabara was now rather broody, something he had never been. And if he did brood, he never brooded for so long. He didn't dwell on matters like the others, at least that is what she thought.

But Hiei had confided in her secret information, information that he had told no one before. She had never known Hiei to be a chronic liar, since he never got off on doing such a thing… So how could she doubt his word?

Apparently, the other two demons had been "the liars".

"We both know that Yusuke never won that first tournament, the one that she had held." He squarely pointed out.

And for having heard him say that, she numbingly nodded, admitting to that fact. No doubt, the old woman must have told him.

"But she went with the safest choice." He further stated. "Yusuke is rarely ever about vengeance, mostly because he's so damn forgetful and everything is all fun and games with him. It's all about the joy of fighting, to have a worthy opponent. I confronted that fool. Yes, I call him a fool because he never manages to see what lies before him. He's too childish, too sure of himself. He lives for the moment. He cannot see the dangers. Nevertheless, Yusuke is not the same person you once knew. He has become demonized and has long since left that human part of him behind. He's not as great as you think he is."

The reaper shook her head at that. "No. You're wrong." She accused, then stomped her foot down loudly in both upset and anger.

Hiei raised a brow at her, watching her as warm, salty tears began to fill her eyes.

For the millionth time, so it seemed, she had completely refused to believe that Yusuke had changed. She was beginning to break down from all of this, from everyone telling her that her perception of him was, in fact, an error.

_"He's changed." They had said._

_"He doesn't care anymore." They said._

All of them had said that. Kuwabara. Shizuru. Keiko… And even Lord Koenma.

She fell down onto her knees, yelping lightly when her knees made contact; for she had forgotten how the floor was incredibly harder than it looked.

Her mind then wondered back to the days when he had saved her; like the time when he had defeated Yakumo. He had saved the world countless of times. He had done it for her, and for Keiko. He had done it for everyone.

Those warm, chocolate brown eyes was all she could manage picture. The vision she had been holding onto, the vision of her hero, was now fading away.

Yusuke had been cruel to them as of late, cutting them all off as though they were no longer important to him. And ever since he had became one of those demons, he had been behaving like a royal jerk. He had even threatened to feed Lord Koenma and the fairy to the ravenous demons, though it wasn't clear whether or not he was joking.

However, it was clear for anyone to see, that she was almost chin-deep in denial.

"Please, tell me you're wrong!" She yelled at him, demanding him to lie to her.

Hiei snorted at her, finding her whole attitude and reaction towards the matter to be utterly ridiculous. Why can't she just accept it like the rest of them?

"You might as well do yourself a favor and accept it, woman." He told her, scolding her. "Because there is no turning back, not for him. …Dry your tears, you look stupid. And this is no time for sniveling."

Botan glared up at him, her face red from tear stains.

But he didn't mind the dirty look she was giving him, nor did he care. All of this emotional drama was irrational in his opinion, and too human for his tastes. And seeing a woman cry made him feel quite uneasy. Other than that, he had enough problems of his own, much less having to deal with her's.

"As for Kuwabara," He continued, changing the subject, to some extent, yet again. He paused for a few seconds, now looking towards the psychic's direction in the place; his Jagan eye finding him. "It's about destroying his opponent. And when he is like this, when he is in this state, he is blind to everything else. He won't hesitate to kill the enemy, committed to slaughter them with his own bare hands. Maybe he would have not done so before, but not now. Not anymore."

Botan sniffled and then frowned at him, feeling uneasy with how he addressed the matter. "You speak as though you admire seeing him like that." She was able to say, now calming down.

To be brutally honest, he sounded as though he was in awe.

Hiei chuckled at first, then grinned deviously at her. "What can I say? I waste no time in expending my foes. And it's nice to see someone else do it for a change. I must admit, it had been beautiful… To watch him rip out their spines, as his eyes flint in rampant ecstasy, to see him taste the fruits of his labor for the first time."

Botan was repelled by his words. She gagged a sickened sound, her face contorting when hearing that appalling testament.

Was this what Hiei got off on? If so, it was utterly revolting!

Were all demons this ghastly morbid, or was it just half of them? Or was that just simply Hiei for you?

But then something else came into mind, something that she now had to know…

"Hiei…" She spoke, after trying to wipe the moisture away around her eyes with her fingers. "Why did you remain behind? I mean, why did you chose to stay with Kuwabara, instead of leaving with Kurama?"

But when she had asked that question, he said nothing.

And it was apparent that she wasn't going to get anymore from him tonight. He quietly left her to herself, leaving it up to her to digest what had already been said.

Perhaps to go perch on another tree somewhere.

But one thing's for sure...

**_People believe what they want to believe._**

**…TBC…**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Comments:**

So, more of the blanks have been filled. Now you know why Hiei did what he did. And now you know more about Kuwabara's past.

Sorry that this chapter was more dialogue, but there isn't much action involved with two people standing around talking. And if you are all wondering when HieixBotan is going to happen… Well, things don't happen over night. And Hiei is hard to win. It's not going to be a piece of cake, for both of the two to start falling for one another.

I would like to thank Saya and KM17 for reviewing.

Please review or leave a comment. This way, I will know that you have enjoyed reading this chapter.


	51. Ch10

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is mostly dialogue.

**WARNING:** This chapter addresses matters concerning all human kind. It's also the dialogue within a dream, before a real nightmarish adventure begins. This chapter and the next are NOT for the faint of heart. Please do not take this chapter as an attack on religious beliefs. I'm not intending to do that in the least. But I still warn, the content is heavy ideology.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**THE PATH TO DECAY**

**[Opening to: "Old Friend"]**

**_"The human race is doomed, their blind ambitions fed by pride is leading them down on a path they may not ever return from. Their foolishness is, of course, their folly to recognize the symptoms. They ignore the signs, for it is far too painful for them to bare in their conscience…_**

**_"There is an order to be filled. On of the purpose of demons was not to test humans, as many tomes claim, but to keep the human population down at a reasonable number. The humans have overpopulated themselves, the rate of starvation and the lack of sufficient clean water is at an all time high. _****_Over irrigation and pollution turn into famine and poisoned waters._****_ Humans have abused the environment, taking the simplest of life's necessities for granted. Wasting much and still desiring even more. Animal cruelty and extinction have worsen, and the entire food chain faces oblivion…_**

**_"The human race is corrupt, their societies ran by liars, and the foundations that their systems had been built upon are collapsing. These increasing conditions are no different than being surrounded by a pack of wolves; a few manage to escape, the rest become the fodder. People will sacrifice one another, if they forget who they are; that they are a race of beings designed to care for one another…_**

**_"The human race is special, but they forget where they came from. They've forgotten their primitive ancestors and their history. The very evidence lies in their gene pools, an answer that even their top scientists fail to decode. That they were taken from apes, and were evolved by mutation; their DNA engineered into lesser, hybrid beings. In layman's terms, they are the product of the gods' acts of experimentations…_**

**_"Nevertheless, they are different than any creature ever to be brought into being. Different from any animal, even unlike that of demons; the first demons were Chimeras. Though flawed they are, humans lack the major faults of our kind. And when a human sheds from their mortal coil, or perishes, that which was given goes back to the source that it once came. Their bodies return to the earth to continue the nourishment of the soil, their souls return to energy, while their spirits are to be reunited with the stars…_**

**_"But here is a little fact to chew on: The spirit is the heart of every individual, but it is not in body, nor in the mind. It is where a person entrusts it, where they decide to put it…_**

**_"Either way… Nothing that you see before you today was made magically from simple dust particles, or the sand of the earth. No one breathed life into their lugs as some book has stated, and yet, so many see it as though it is an uncompromising truth…_**

**_"The human element is composed of many elements. It takes more than just mere dust and air to make a living being. It was through the use of alchemy, in other words, science. The very same goes for the construction of spirit and soul. And these elements are sources found only from the stars, the elements rest with them. We are the sources of these elements, we produce them ceaselessly through our entire existence…_**

**_"The universe itself was formed from a single star, when my father expanded himself into what is now. That is where it all began…_**

**_"As of right now... Mankind uses alchemy in hopes to become like gods themselves, even going as far as to creating diminutive stars all of their own; ones that can fit in the very palms of their hands. However, they use this technology to achieve negative means and to commit evils, namely for the purpose of destroying one another... _**

**_"But there is also another threat, one that has been prolonged for far too long; ever since beginnings of all human kind. They are the meaning behind the human race's corruption and fall, the vain of it all. My father's 'Sins' were to force them all to bend, to break them under the surmounting pressure. However, the issues continue to subsist, and they refuse to give in or forfeit... _**

**_"They allow the humans to blindly hurt one another, to destroy one another, and in the meanwhile...they plan to take away their freedoms. They have tainted the humans' minds and have been using them to achieve their means. They lie to them, to everyone. Many people are hurting, but they do not care. They all live in a false sense of reality, protected by their own lies that they wish to believe...  
_**

**_"That's where I step in..._**

**_"I can take away that which was given, and that which has been stolen, because it's my ordained right to. For I have the power to do so..._**

**_"To some, I am Justice and Truth. To many, I am DEATH...  
_**

**_"However, not all will suffer. Not all will perish. Not everyone is blind, just those who choose to remain asleep. The point is, in this on going war, no one is going to be spared in the end. Everyone is going to feel some it to some effect; like a ripple in a glass of water..._**

**_"The humans will fail to restrain me. Their attempt upon my life was petty, just as the attempts from the fools in Spirit World were..._**

**_"If they want evil, I'll show them EVIL... _**

**_"They will feel my blade at the time of harvest. And their begs for mercy I will NOT hear, for they never showed any. I AM the final punishment. There will be no time for apologies, only tears and echoing cries, as I take them to The Other Side. My heart will be like that of stone...  
_**

**_"They believe that these chains will hold me, but they won't hold on for much longer... These seals will fall away... _**

**_"I will no longer live a life of lies... To give another fake smile... With another day gone, another night's dawn... I will remember and not forget this time... For my father has, at last, filled me in on everything...  
_**

**_"No one can stop me, and they cannot evade their fates..._**

**_"They WILL fear me."  
_**

**oOoOo**

There were in the middle of nowhere, with nothing to be seen except for themselves.

The night never seemed so cruel; like an ominous blackened cloud of death, cascading around them, breathing its icy winds as it sucked the life from their bodies.

Her feet were aching against the freezing pavement.

His hair was blowing in the wind. His face blank and empty of all expression for what she could see when he passed her.

Waves of flowing claret came crashing into him, spilling enigmatically from the darkness that surrounded them.

The red tainted his immaculate white clothing, soaking him to the bone. He had on his old "tournament" wardrobe, sporting the biker's jacket that he was well noted for.

"No, Kazuma! Please don't go!" She shouted, pleading to him…

But he didn't answer.

He didn't even turn around, or look her way. It seemed as though he couldn't hear her, as though her blaring voice was only for her own ears to hear; it bared no vibration or audio for his. He just continued sauntering on, heading towards only the gods' know where.

His steps were dawdling, his stride slow, and his steps rigid.

Alas, no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't bring herself to catch up with him. He kept getting farther and farther away from her, as if they were being pulled apart.

It was like she wasn't moving at all, when it was obvious that she was. It was like the ground itself was somehow moving her backwards, away from him.

And the blood kept coming. Flooding the ground at a tremendous, overwhelming rate; like an ocean being dumped literally on top of them.

She soon found her own self swimming in it, the crimson tides pushing her away this time.

"I'm sorry! Kazuma!"

Her cries continued to fall on deaf ears.

The blood engulfed him, swallowing him up, and taking him from her sight.

And at the last moment, she had reached out to him.

She couldn't believe it, and neither did she want to accept it... Her brother was gone.

And now, it seemed it was her time to disappear, as the monstrous waves began to overcome her.

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

A little warning… The next chapter after this is going to be fairly dark. A lot darker than this one. I don't know when that will be, since I've been under the weather lately.

This chapter, I am sure, is a mind trip for some.

I'd like to thank all those who have reviewed. Thank you all.


	52. Ch10 p1

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Warning:** This chapter is dark. Very dark. Could be loads darker, too.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**OLD FRIEND**

**Part One**

_"The beast lives, out of the raging storm, in the dead of night. The ravenous blood-sick creature searches for its sacrifice through the hideous darkness, it lurches, driven by death itself. Only the satisfaction of slaughter will cause it to return to The Darkness from which it came."_

-Insane Clown Posse; "Boogie Woogie Wu"

**oOo**

The terror coursing in her felt like needles, virulent-tipped syringes inserting delirium. Madness was obstinate and inexorable. Far beyond gone, this experience had to be an acid trip on overdose. So many images passed through her psyche, as if seeing the world that she had known in a rewinding motion.

The images that flashed through her mind were that of her brother. From the moment she last saw him, all the way back in time when he was merely a boy. She had relived the horrors of his kidnap, the Dark Tournament, and now she was back into their childhood…

…Reviving the past moments of running away from demons…

…Their uncle's use of his once newfound beliefs, driving her brother mad with his religious incitements to cast the "devils" from him…of both Masato and him ganging up on the boy, forcing him to withstand the torment that they unleashed, and burning his flesh with sacred relics…

…The times when she tried to comfort him during the night, when dark spirits were crawling on his bedroom walls…

…He was crying…

...Masato was relentlessly beating the daylights out of him...

…And finally, when her family had strapped him down in a chair, forcing his powers back… His screams, he kept screaming…at the top of his lungs, writhing against his restraints and begging them to stop…

…He tried to push them all away with the use of his mind, with his telekinetic capabilities…he was SO strong…

…The pipes combusted within the walls, the paint being stripped off, the glass in the windows imploded, the wood splintering into pieces…

…He was literally tearing the place slap apart…

…The debris spinning about them as he wreaked havoc on them…

…But they wouldn't cease from chanting…

Everything had spun erratically like a roller-coaster gone awry, the force against her mind both turbulent and penetrating.

Then suddenly it all ceased and utter darkness encompassed her; like breaths of bitter air blown into all sides of her peripheral vision.

Prior to this, the torment was as though she had been like being swallowed by a blazing beast, who's mouth was a literal hellhole rowed with teeth, and then afterwards chilled by an instant deep freeze. She now felt so numb yet so cold.

The air had certainly became all the more colder, and yet, heavy at the same time; like on a hot summer night.

Then suddenly, an incredible change took place in the matter of seconds…

Harsh, blazing hot winds blew against her form, pushing against her mercilessly; like a sandstorm within a desert. A great contrast to the biting cold.

She coughed as she struggled to breathe. The atmosphere was heavily contaminated with potent fumes; so strong her taste buds could literally pick up the pungent flavor. Sulfur, blood, ash, decay, and what smelled like burning wire. It didn't set well with her, her stomach twisting into knots as her lungs kept contracting; heaving from the ultra toxicity.

Her vision was a blur.

The winds suddenly expired, and without warning.

_**"Come. Come see me for who I really am."**_

She heard a voice beckon her, just as a massive heat wave caressed her face; like a hand of a human being.

That contact of heat pricked her skin like needles.

And to her amazement, it was though she could somehow breathe again. The air was no longer choking the life out of her. It was as though someone had magically bestowed upon her "life support", so to speak. And her perception began to return.

Once gathering her resolve, her eyes began to scope around; giving her surroundings a decent observation.

A dark, thick crimson swathed the skies; like fresh wounds on a war's causality. There was no body of light, except the sinister glow radiating from what appeared to be red fog of supernatural proportions, one which hovered high above the sickened ground. The dead grass laid heavy with what looked to be blood.

In the distance, there was urban decay; the twisted structures eroding away, becoming naked with their skeletons exposed. The windows were all blown out, some of the buildings were even melted, and debris and refuse was strung as far as the eye can see. It seemed as though a massive war had taken place here.

…That, and everything that resembled "human" technologies were outright dilapidated; machinery gone to waste and had thus turned into rust…

And in the midst thereof, was a monolithic structure; enormous in size, constructed differently all together, with a molten lake surrounding it like a ring of fire.

That's where she sensed a presence, of the one responsible for her liberation.

Without delay or any hesitation, she began placing each foot in front of the other. Treading through this wilderness of destruction and despair, she hoped to find her brother.

This was not going to be a cakewalk, she knew.

On her way, walking through the wreckages, collapsed ruins, and rolling, broken road painted with blood and flame…

…And she had walked for what seemed like hours to get to this point, through the winding streets of this decaying filth…

…The streets were ablaze, hotter than iron need be for any craft, with fire seeping through the cracks from below. But her feet remarkably did not burn, nor did they feel any pain…

She saw wingless, flying salamander-like creatures that were more tail than body; flying serpents would be the accurate description. They were gathering, collecting, and carrying bright orbs in their tiny, straw-like clutches; similar to the legs found on a butterfly. Being a psychic, she knew very well that those were spirits that these creatures were transporting.

As to where these serpents were taking these souls… It seemed as though they were heading into the same direction as she was. But as to why they were, that in itself was a completely different mystery… One that she wasn't intending to find out, considering that she might very well discover the answer later on in this journey.

Blood and carnage was everywhere to be seen, as far as the eye can see.

Heads stuffed within the ribcages of demonic corpses. Bodies flayed and torn apart. Decapitated, skinless heads on stakes. Bodies impaled through their guts or their rectums, suspended there for what it seemed like, with the estimations of time of decomposition, days. Their eyes were gauged out.

The maggots were literally oozing out of the sordid carcasses, spewing out into heaps on the ground, for there was SO many of them in quantity. This place was infested with flies. Large ones, ones much bigger in size than the common horse fly.

It was like a city of the dead here. Almost.

They were half dead, as though death itself denied them from their release of pain, suffering, and agonizing torment.

Upon the rusted, twisted fences, were breathing beings pinned and bounded up by barred wire. Their bodies were severed into various parts, but oddly enough they were still alive, with their organs exposed but intact. Judging by their tattered and burnt clothing, they looked to be the once able bodies of gangs or crime syndicates.

They watched her as she passed, gurgling incomprehensible words in their throats. She could see leach, worm-like creatures with three heads were feeding upon their hearts and other organs; drinking the blood like sickened children upon a mother's breast.

After noticing this, she did her best to keep her distance.

But much to her disappointment and distress, there were more monsters to discern and to respect…

On the ground, demonic-like beasts were feasting upon these maggot infested corpses, their eyes gleaming with madness.

Beasts with human expressions, but were far from human…

Six-eyed crows, beaks lined with rows of teeth, seen stripping the meat from bones. Their caws were like deranged cackles; like an assembly of laughing witches, all which were from different covens.

Tiny dragon-like and frog-like creatures crawling in the decaying insides, disgustingly bursting out and reentering though flesh wounds, cavities, and orifices. They were digging their claws and their teeth into the meat, consuming them bit by bit.

There were even lagomorphic creatures; mutated rats, rabbits, you name it. They were gnawing on flesh and bone, the veins repulsively sticking between their four front teeth.

_"Killer bunnies._" She reflected, all the while trying her best to remain inconspicuous as she continued on her way in silence. _"Now, I'm afraid. My view of their innocence has been raped. ...This place is disgusting."_

She also beheld featureless, humanoid creatures, appearing to be either skinless or burned, with their faces smeared in wires and worms. With their gorilla-like movements, they were extremely fast. They were spewing out hot, black bile from the cavities in their chests at will. There were no mouths to be seen, no eyes. They had slits for nostrils, and long claw-like fingers upon their hands. They bodies were bare naked and hairless, but possessed no genitalia. Their spines were awfully visible, bulking outwards beneath the skin, which extended into long, reptilian tails.

What purpose they filled, one can only imagine in horror.

And these creatures were just a handful on the list of examples.

She then turned her sight back to the ground, something immediately catching her attention. She was now stepping on something and it wasn't pavement. It was tickling her, and moving like the flow in a stream.

The roads were covered, blanketed with large cascading cockroach-like creatures. They had large antennae and human-like expressions. They were scaling on the walls, as well as the ground.

And jointed in their numbers were three foot centipedes. And they, too, with their needle-like legs, were crawling all over the place.

She whacked off one of the roach-like creatures, it had crawled onto her leg as it was passing.

It fell upon its back and screeched at her in return, it's human-like mouth moving as it did, and its black eyes widening at her.

She tried to hold back her horror, fighting hard to not scream, but she could only manage to close her mouth and suppress it. She tried her best to move onward, squirming and twitching as these things eventually passed.

But then, she heard lupine, jagged breaths from all around her.

She looked, though it went against her best instincts to.

From every direction, were morbidly thin, demonic black dogs with deteriorating flesh. Their breeds appeared be similar to Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers crossed over with the tendencies of wolves…

…They had her surrounded like a wild, pack of blood-thirsty wolves…

They had long, speared-shaped tongues. Their slobber dripping down through their rows of large, sharp and exposed teeth; their gums were bleeding and their muzzles stripped of their cheeks and lips. And they owned four pairs of eyes.

She couldn't see all of the details, but they were frightening enough in the far distance where they stood.

The creatures cried horrible, nerve-wracking howls.

She had never once liked dogs. And that still stands today, as of right now.

And she was immensely terrified, though she didn't show it. She was shaking on the inside, to tell you the truth.

It was logical as it was understandable. That she naturally feared for her life, for her own sake and good will.

She was obviously aware of the facts, one being that they may surely come her way and ravage her.

_**"I won't let them harm you."**_ The voice from before spoke again. _**"Do not be afraid. They are just curious."**_

_"Oh, that's REAL comforting."_ She thought cynically, discouraged by all this morbidity.

Those grisly hellhounds quickly moved on, however, much to her instant relief and satisfaction.

She continued to press on, now wanting all the more to get to the bottom of all of this mess…

…This infernal HELL…

…This demented version of "The Wizard of Oz", before ill-minded and unsightly munchkins were to suddenly pop up and began beating on her…or those winged monkeys…

...And find her brother.

Yes.

She knew that if he had to be anywhere around here, that he must be residing at that grotesque fortress.

Though she had no clue why, she just knew and expected him to be there. As incredibly sentimental and foolish as it may seem, to beat the gun like this, she was relying upon a feeling.

A gut feeling and a bond between siblings.

And she had started running the rest of the way.

She eventually came to a bridge, at last. A rickety bridge made with boards of stone and fashioned together with wire. It was as decrepit as it seemed perilous.

That roaring, hot lava didn't quell her fears one iota. Not even for one, meager millisecond.

And around the lava-pool was high, jagged elevations of pumice stones, and in the center of the pool was an island of hardened, obsidian rock. And upon that island was the fortress.

The atmosphere here was significantly different. The air was hot and excruciating, which was to be expected considering the location she was now in.

Why did the simplest of matters, like crossing a bridge, have to be SO gruelingly difficult? She'd like to know.

But unknown to many, Shizuru was a lot tougher than she seemed. And this girl was on a mission, she knew what she had to do.

So, steadily, she began crossing over. Mindful to not gripe the wires, not even once as she passed through onto the other side.

By now she could see that the sky was pitch black, the reflection off this blazing inferno and blood stained land made the ominous clouds appear all the more sinister.

The floor and walls of the fortress were covered in a grimy filth, and the air was filled with a hot, heavy smell of roasting flesh.

The marred walls that were caked in blood, but up close, one could see that the stones were made of crushed bones; found from that of human and demon remains. Some of the fractures of skulls remained, which played a haunting memory of what once was. There were also these worm-like black vines, vilely moving about, seeping in and out through the holes, cracks, and corners.

This place reeked more of death than what she had seen OUT THERE, by far. And let her tell you, it was a foul stench indeed.

Made her nostril hairs curl, her nose cringe.

And that was just the outside.

Once after stepping within, past the raised iron, black gate…

She ventured down one of the main halls.

Quickly, she found herself within a hall that opened to many rooms. A hallway that looked too professional to be a part of this structure, even though it was covered in inches of dust, undisturbed and dilapidated.

As she traveled further down this darkening corridor, she came to notice the realistic hands, which were lined up and sticking out of walls, frozen in a classic "reaching out" formation. She then quickly came to realize the shoddy body parts, which were hanging by chains from the ceiling above her. These chains were savagely hooked into the flesh-like material, serving as some sort of sick decoration. It was grotesque, to say the least.

**/Welcome to where time stands still**  
**No one leaves and no one will/**

By looking in each room she came across, in search for a sign of her brother…

She beheld some terrible content, some of that which promised to haunt her for the rest of eternity.

**/Moon is full, never seems to change**  
**Just labeled mentally deranged**/

And it involved life-like, human-sized dolls, mannequins that seemed all too real.

In one room, a number of them were wearing heinous contraptions, death machines or devices strapped in an inhumane fashion.

**/Dream the same thing every night**  
**I see our freedom in my sight/**

One of the mannequin's head was literally inside of a bottle, the entire head was in that thing; like a hand stuck within a pickle jar. She was discombobulated by the sight. It was as though he was wearing it as some sort of sporty head-gear, his face squished up tightly against the glass, and his neck… It wasn't even normal.

Another mannequin was pulled apart, almost straight down the middle. Another doll appeared as though its head had been blown clear off. Another had hooks in his cheeks and lips, with wires that restrained his mouth wide open, and his tongue was removed. And another had its feet and hands chopped…

No, make that "SAWED" off.

**/No locked doors, no windows barred**  
**No things to make my brain seem scarred/**

There was another mannequin, one who held "the tool in question" in his hands. Though he was frozen in time, just as the rest of them were, he was finishing the work on the final leg. The corroded blade was already well in the bone, or where the bone would have been IF it had been a real body.

Another dummy had his eyes sewn shut and his fingernails removed; the tips of his fingers, right down to the first knuckle, were cut completely off.

**/Sleep, my friend, and you will see**  
**The dream is my reality/**

Despicable experiments were performed here, she reckoned.

She moved to the next room, across the hall, and looked in…

In this room there were rectangular tables, ones made of metal with buckled leather straps for fastening. There were also numerous beakers and jars on shelves. Containers filled with a sallow fluid, the chemical known as formaldehyde, and various types of organs.

**/They keep me locked up in this cage**  
**Can't they see it's why my brain says "rage"/**

She saw intestines, kidneys, livers… Hell, even eye balls, brains, and blood vessels. And in a few jars, there was a massive collection of teeth.

One doll was sticking a hypodermic needle, an old fashioned syringe, into another's arm. This one had long golden hair, was wearing a nurse's outfit, and was obviously female. Appallingly, the doll's eyes were literally melted out of her head, with the blackened remnants of plastic that had streamed down her face.

The one receiving the shot, however, was strapped down onto one of the tables… With the top part of her hairless cranium being removed; you can see the dots drawn on her forehead.

**/Sanitarium, leave me be/**

The other female doll had an accomplice, one which had a drill saw in his right hand, while he carried a scalpel in his left.

**/Sanitarium, just leave me alone/**

This was another "operating room", but of a different type. Where organs were removed, possibly to sell to viable buyers on The Black Market.

Repulsed by this sight of sheer cruelty, and having had enough, Shizuru removed herself from the room and quickly moved on.

She started speeding up her search, peeking in rooms, through barred windows…

There was a dentist chair in one room. One that looked more like an execution chair, with its straps and frightening gadgets.

**/Build my fear of what's out there**  
**Cannot breathe the open air/**

In another, there was a heap of naked dolls. They were compiled upon the floor carelessly, and lying before an enormous furnace. Some of the dolls were stuffed in, their charred remains sticking out through the oven's door.

**/Whisper things into my brain**  
**Assuring me that I'm insane/**

In one large room, there was an immense huddle of female dolls, locked up and cramped up together; like a factory's coop of chickens. There was only one bed, and yet, there were so many of them and not enough space to breathe in. ...IF they could breathe...

**/They think our heads are in their hands**  
**But violent use brings violent plans/**

And in, yet, another room… There was a male doll who sat in one of the far corners, bounded by his own sleeves, his arms held in a lasting crisscross over his chest. He had on a device, a guard around his head, with straps that connected to a muzzled made of metal.

...There were others, more who resembled the likes of him, who were trapped in the similar states...

**/Keep him tied, it makes him well**  
**He's getting better, can't you tell?/**

And in many rooms, there was an infinite amount of dolls having been seen fastened down onto sullied beds; tied by their own sheets to the railings and bedposts.

Some of the dolls were bent over and hugging their knees. Some were curled into fetal positions. And some were littered with bite marks and scratches. Some with amputated limbs. Most were toothless, their teeth ripped out from their gums.

**/No more can they keep us in**  
**Listen, damn it, we will win/**

One female doll had her eyes scratched out completely from her head, and you can see the claw marks perfectly clear on her cheeks and around the hollowed sockets.

The walls and doors were littered with dents and similar marks, they were as scratched up as she was. They were battered and bruised "to Hell and back" within each of these rooms.

**/They see it right, they see it well**  
**But they think this saves us from our hell/**

Moreover, ninety-seven in percentage were horribly emaciated.

But then there was the kitchen, which had to be the worst site in this horrid place... Shizuru stared in absolute horror. There were body parts everywhere. On the stove, in a pot. On the counters and on the chopping block. One hand had been partially chopped up into tiny pieces, most of the fingers were no longer...fingers; just the remains of what once was. ...And then, there was the meat grinder.

That kitchen was no kitchen, but a slaughterhouse.

**/Sanitarium, leave me be/**

Chills began to run down her spine as she continued, her own body breaking out in intervallic flashes of cold sweat.

**/Sanitarium, just leave me alone/**

She then began to hear the phantoms. A dreadful noise of boisterous racket, tied together with mixed emotions… Of loneliness, dread, uncertainty, despair, pain, anger, and doom. The atmosphere in here was overwhelmingly HEAVY, heavy like a ton of lead weights.

**/Sanitarium/**

The men roared with madness. The women screamed in terror. The women and the children were screaming, wailing in tears.

**/Just leave me alone/**

Mannequins. So many mannequins, like some sort of life-sized, macabre dollhouse for the psychologically questioned… Serving up amusement for the criminally minded, the sociopaths of society.

Most of the dolls were in patient's wardrobes, white garments that were yellowed and muddied by filth, blood and bodily waste; the horrifying signs of neglect.

...She began to feel real dizzy, everything started spinning around her...

**/Fear of living on**  
**Natives getting restless now/**

…The voices kept getting louder and louder…

**/Mutiny in the air**  
**Got some death to do/**

Meanwhile, others wore clean and immaculate white gowns, along with a set of latex gloves, and black professional shoes. And as a bonus accessory, their faces were concealed underneath these hideous looking leather masks; their mouths zipped shut, a guarantee that they will keep their silence and never speak a word of what was taking place…

**/Mirror stares back hard**  
**kill is such a friendly word/**

One had razor blades fitted upon his fingers, with three rings which fastened the triple-jointed weapons. He looked like, pardon her speech, Freddie "fucking" Cougar with those devices.

**/seems the only way**  
**for reaching out again/**

And then, it had suddenly dawned on her…

…Her heart had stopped, ceasing to beat for what seemed like an entire moment, before it plummeted down into the pit of her stomach…

…And her mind had clicked with an awful, disturbing revelation…

This rundown facility, with its filth and its inhumanity…

Was an ASYLUM; or a SICK representation of one…

A BLOODY MAD HOUSE OF FUCKED UP TERROR.

And people weren't sent here to obtain help, they were sent here to DIE.

Unknown to her, it was a bitter taste of his most distant of memories.

By now, the children of his past had grown up… And with them, so had his memories of them.

And it was a sad and tragic truth, that many clinics that specialized in treatments much like this one, were almost precisely the same way.

No longer wanting to see more of this place, to see what else it had in stored for her…

She took off in a whirlwind of hurry, darting down the halls as quick as her bare feet could manage to allow her. She literally left a trail of dust behind her; which was all due to the fact that the floors had clearly not been swept in ages.

She tried her best to fight back the tears, wanting nothing more than to leave all of this behind her.

Their synthetic, stoic expressions haunting her.

**oOoOo-MARTYR-oOoOo**

Along time ago, way back when Shizuru was around eleven years of age...

Though she had not been physically present during the entire ritual, she had seen the horrors that had unraveled with her own mind's eye; the awakening capabilities of her psyche... She was able to achieve this access, to see the world around her like the moving pictures of television screen, even though she had been miles apart from him.

...Her senses were keen, more sharp than the average human's...

Her uncle had once spoken to her in privacy, with only the two of them standing in her grandfather's backyard.

He had been sent by her mother to pick her up, but it became immediately apparent that he intended to do something more.

And Shizuru, as young as she was then, was above the average I.Q.; not to mention that she was anything but ignorant...

_"Allow me let you in on a little secret, child…_

_"Devils hate being judged. And to be judged, causes them to raise Cain. If you aim for anything, attack their pride… It enrages them beyond their ability to contain themselves, and they will spend up all their energy just to bring you to silence. Then, once that vigor within them is depleted, they will succumb to your will. But don't ever exorcise a Devil without first binding them, remember to use the special techniques that you have learned…_

_"However, I must provide you with a word of caution… If anyone was to judge The Devil, himself, that Son of Perdition… He or she would be hammering the nails into their own coffin…" _

_"'**Anung un Rama**'__," _He told her in an unknown language.

For a course of three years, he taught her everything he knew; taking her under his wing, guiding her every step of the way.

_"...One of the names that should never be mentioned, even though it is a creature who bares no name. ...Said to associate with__ the phrase:** 'ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn'**,__ which translates to 'In his house at R'lyeh dead Cthulhu waits dreaming'...__ But forget I've ever said that, never repeat it. Ever. …Likewise, 'Seth Omen'Haiden Erickson' is also a name that must be forgotten… _

_"**Sutekh**... The evil spirit, the dazzling fiend, the evil wind, the assaulting wind, which strips off the clothing of the body as an evil demon... The one who conjures the **Yara-ma-yha-who**, the beasts who swallow men whole... The one... One of the beings that even the demons fear most, even more than Ukobaches; the fiery demons of Hell... For he is Satan, the barer of light... The letters to the name, when added up in cryptic mathematics and used in Enochian contexts, spells out the truth... He is...'**God's Venom**'...named after his father...  
_

_"Seth... He was never born, never once existed... It's just a name, a human name that had been given to him by his mother... He's not human, he just appears human... He's a monster wrapped up in human flesh, and he must be contained... _

_"Others may say that your brother is not well… But I know the truth. I know who your brother is. What he is. …And it pains me, as it does the rest of our family. But I don't intend to do nothing more about it, neither should you. I guess that's what we deserve for being a clan of demon slayers; our heir is what we most fear. Our best chances are to quell both his powers and his nature…_

_"Shizuru, that is why, no matter what happens… Try to keep your brother at his weakest, never allow him to reach his full potential. Fight back his pride, chastise him and rebuke him. For our sakes, if not for his own good. For if he breaks free, there's no chance of holding him back…"_

But how was anyone to "beat the devil out of" The Devil? She wondered if that was even possible.

_"It'll only sting him for a little while…" _He had answered to that regard, as though bestowing "punishments" were nothing more than child's play._ "Look, you're a smart girl. You'll know what to do..._

_"From this point forward, you are an official **Watchman**; by Devil's terminology, a **Nephilim**. And a Watchman's duty is to keep the world safe and sound, to forewarn the people of a rising apocalypse. You're job specifically is to keep an eye on your brother, at all times necessary. Keep a steady watch, learn everything that there is to know... You are now your bother's vassal, his keeper...  
_

_"But with such an arbitrary yet dutiful and honorable responsibility, comes an even steeper price. In time, when the end of days is at hand, for it will come… You, child, will suffer more than anyone. You will be left to gaze and be appalled by the terror he brings. Know this and keep it to your heart always. Don't think for one moment that any of this is going to be easy." _

This man was her mother's "little" brother. Though perceived as being foolish by most in the family, he was wise in his own recognitions and was always consumed in his studies...

...He knew an awful lot about "monsters"...and the monster that was her brother had many names...

Her mother had told her stories about him, of him once being a irresponsible and reprehensible young man. But now, he lived a life of near destitute, with only the beatitudes to suit his needs and purpose. He now lived his life following strict rules, biding by severe codes of conduct.

He was a devout, sacrilegious figure... But he was not part of an official mission or a designated church. Instead, he dedicated his life to being a profitless exorcist; or what he called "a soldier of righteousness".

On again, off again...he was pretty much a bum. Living in conditions that were, off-hand, downright atrocious; REAL slum-holes, they were. However, he never remained in one place for long, because he was always on the move. Other than fighting "the creatures of the dark", he was technically useless; namely when it came to the means of acquiring a steady job or a place of employment.

And like many before him, his religiosity was his escapism. His own asphyxiation in the form of a crutch…

Something he had undoubtedly turned to, when his oldest sister had been snuffed from existence… For some sort of relief, some sense of protection or power…

To her, even at that vernal age, she possessed enough sense to know… That religion or beliefs, no matter what they were, it was all the same.

And his beliefs made no sense to her, for the faith itself incites fear in the minds and in the hearts of many people. Not to mention that it has destroyed many for centuries; The Vikings, The Celts, The Aztecs, The Mayans, The Jews, Native Americans, Muslims, slaves, the list goes on. In history, they had forced many by the sword to either convert or "meet their maker"; most were going to die, while the rest were to be rehabilitated against their wills. Blood had been shed in the name of The Cross, rather than "saving" lives or souls…

But Buddhism wasn't any better. If you weren't "enlightened" enough, King Yama might send you straight to Hell.

In most religions, you either join the masses of clones...or you will suffer the dire consequences.

…Perhaps Devils being judged by "hypocrites", people who claim to be "pure" due to praying their "sins" away, was an insult added to injury…

Nevertheless, she had conditioned her brother to live by their "human" standards, raising him up the best she could to be a good and principled individual.

She never once intended to control his life, however. She didn't even own the faintest desire to be a "Watchman" or "Keeper", and yet, she was forced to have the job anyway.

A decision that had been passed by the higher members of her family, also known as "The Council", who handles the uttermost important affairs.

Pitifully, _"Stay strong and train hard"_ were their only words of advice for her.

She wanted to be a "beautician", a fashionable stylist of sorts. When she had chosen the career of becoming a tamer, "hair" was the only "beast" that she had pictured in her mind... And not, by any means, had the meaning ever leaned towards "the beast of the apocalypse".

Nevertheless, she became not only his "caretaker" or "babysitter", but also his "watch dog".

A degrading role that she wanted nothing more than to do away with...

...But now, somehow...she couldn't...bring herself...to break away...

Disgusted with herself, as she was with everything else that managed to piss her off, she came to later realize in life...that...she was too damn loyal.

She was no better than a lap dog...an irritable, ankle biting pooch...on the quest of biting someone, right on the ass.

However, her mind could not grasp an understanding as to what her uncle had meant by her having to "be left"; not even an inkling.

Her psychic clan had predicted, if not suspected, that the world would end around two hundred years later…

That's why she had remained ever doubtful of his words.

Hell, she didn't even believe in the possibilities that she could manage to live passed the age of seventy, let alone fulfill a century in time.

**oOo**

_"I play hell, you play heaven_  
_I'm deaths own little star..._  
_Can you trace the sins that haunt you,_  
_And play the devil's cards as I do?_  
_I am all that you see,_  
_I am all that you want me to be!_  
_I am god, and so the Antichrist_  
_I'm blessed, yet damned_  
_I'm fallen, yet resurrected_  
_I'm all of nothing!"_

-Deathstars; "Synthetic Generation"_  
_

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

This chapter sucks. I owe it to my perception of Shizuru being more brave than being a coward. She's not really the type to run from danger, though she will move at her own pace. I don't really like how the anime portrays her running from demon officers. It doesn't fit her character all too well. They tried to make her too much like Atsuko, to fill in her spot. BAH.

Thanks, Saya, for the review!

Thanks for reading! Please leave a comment or a review.

**EDIT:**

The lyrics are by Metallica, the song is called "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)".

I added both the lyrics and more to this chapter. As for the word depictions of the alleged asylum he had stayed in...

I've seen what those places look inside. And I've heard some terrible, terrible horror stories. This is no joke. Those places are AWFUL.

Here's a little fact of American History: It wasn't until the late 1990's when we began shutting such horrid institutions. And America isn't the only place that had them. Many are still open today.


	53. Ch10 p2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is dark. Very dark. Could be loads darker, too.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**OLD FRIEND**

**Part Two**

**[Somewhere In Time, Down The Rabbit Hole]**

_The brightest star in the heavens is "Sirius"; and with it, connected the infamous Cerberus_**;**

_Hell follows Death's footsteps._

_The Hellish Cerberus closely guards her; the star of life, death, and rebirth._

_That is one of the many reasons as to why the star is commonly referred to as "The Dog Star"._**  
**

**oOo  
**

Shizuru had fared by many niches, rooms which archived the scores of profound compilation pieces… His most significant memories, ones that had left a major imprint under his skin.

…Though we may consciously forget our memories, whether it be our fragile minds fading away with time or to reject something that is far too unpleasant to entertain…

…Nothing is ever really forgotten…

Going through each hall, rising to every level, was like sifting through the pages of a book.

Some memories she could familiarize, others just seemed to belong to a stranger's lost and forgotten fantasy.

One anamnesis was that of a beautiful woman._ She possessed warm, red locks, like flame, which flourished from her scalp in a fountain of swirling cubicals. Her eyes were like rays of sunshine, and yet, slender and sensual. Her face was like a heart-shaped box. And her soft, subtle skin was just as pale as the moon itself._

_She was a very curvilinear beauty; with her hourglass shaped torso, her meaty, baby doll legs, her apple shaped hindquarters, and voluptuous breasts. However, her hands were not dainty and neither was her feet. In fact, for a female, she was quite the Amazon._

_She wore a flowing white gown, an unusually designed dress constructed from a combination of lace and a silky, sheer-like material._

_And walking closely beside her was an even taller, strong, and dark gentleman. Her arm almost looped around his, her wrist resting between his inner elbow, and her head resting upon his arm._

_He wore a suit of shining, black armor; which it looked pretty damn wicked, manufactured in prime evil with its macabre motifs, gothic styled patterns, its dragon-like design, and its leather straps that fastened the whole thing together. He even wore a cape._

_There was power in his steps, and though the pair was merely ambling along the pathway, his demeanor fitted along the lines of stalking._

Shizuru had recognized him right off the bat. All too well, in fact.

_**/There, where the night has no tomorrow**_  
_**I miss you**_  
_**Where my heart is burning for ever**_  
_**You lose me/**_

_The two were strolling down a path, with nothing but the moonlight to guide their way. And the world that they were in was a paradise compared to the earth's current state._

_**"Must you always frighten them away?"** The woman spoke, all the while fiddling with a peculiar gold item that hung from a chain which draped around her neck. It looked to be a locket in the size of a pocket watch, fetchingly engraved with symbols._

_"I see no reason why not to." He had answered proudly, his red narrowing slowly. "They're pathetic, every last one of them." A vague moment passed before his expression quirked; a smug smirk fashioning upon his visage as his eyes gleamed with a malicious gist. "They are not even worth the ground we tread upon, the disgusting vermin."_

_The woman looked up at him, her calm, angelic gaze warped by her reflective consequence of his reply. Technically, her brows had lowered, while her orpiment eyes were squinting in his direction. She was watching him very closely. **"But they are your handmade."**_

_He frowned at her words, his brows furrowing in a knot._

_**/If my angels call my name**_  
_**I still hold your hand**_  
_**It is finished**_  
_**Last oath is branded**_**_/_  
**

_"They are my father's creation, not mine. Their purpose was to suit his needs, to fulfill his incorrigible ambitions." He corrected her gently, though his words still came off as being rather stern. "I had merely inherited the problems, HIS troubles."  
_

The man was as bold as he was harsh, Shizuru pictured; having read the language of his demeanor. And there was no doubt, in her mind, that he was overweening in nature.

_He then brought their steps to a sudden halt, and then turned his head to looked down at her. "…My dear, demons are unlike elves and faeries. Like humans, they are empty creatures, a miscreation in my opinion. Always craving for more, and yet, finding nothing that can satisfy their hunger. Quite frankly, I have no need for them. Perhaps I should do them a favor by erasing-"_

_**"Don't!"** The woman interjected sharply; like a loud crack of formidable thunder. With haste, she had released herself from him, only then to push herself up forcefully against his body. **"…Don't you dare."** She venomously warned, and with a hiss, her temper flashing in her eyes._

_**/And no power**_  
_ **Will bring you back, because we are doomed/**_

Shizuru had been amazed, stricken with awe by how this woman had turned this whole thing around. She had countered back his statements with her own assertions, transforming this argument into a minor quarrel between lovers.

Why, she was the sister that she had always dreamed to have. The girl had a backbone, which Shizuru believed to be an admirable trait.

_This maiden's voice deepened as she continued, her pale complexion tainted by a rising smoke of black doom; like black, viral-like clouds passing and shrouding the light from the moon. She seemed more like a monster than she had at first appeared. **"Don't you dare say anything like that. Don't even think it. …Don't take your hatred for your father and place it upon them."**_

_Her body then began to blaze, fire lining every part of her; like when the moon eclipses the sun. And along with this intimidating scene, were twelve wings made of flame, horns, and a tail. By then, the fire became a raging inferno; she was literally engulfed in flames, and her whole being seemed to be completely that. _

_A person could still manage to make her out, but she was awfully terrifying.  
_

**_/But our light breaks the darkness_**  
**_Because every word from you will remain forever/_**

_The man raised one of his large, thick, and sharp eyebrows at her; he has very pointy, arching brows for some reason._ From Shizuru's point of view, _he seemed to be quite amused, if not all the more enamored with her._ _He was grinning wolfishly, exposing his sharp teeth in a feral-like fashion._

The man was an utter loon, looking for trouble…and he had found her.

She was his "better half", possessing much of what he had less of or lacked.

**_/I still hear your dying words_**  
**_"Come with me"_**  
**_And still deep inside it burns/_**

_He raised his large and strong hands, tenderly framing the contours of her face, his fingertips gently caressing the surface of her skin. He was careful not to scrape or nick her with his long, sharp nails._

_And how he was able to touch her was a mystery of its own. Her fire did not burn, nor did it bring him any pain.  
_

_Moreover, it had began to rain...out of nowhere. Earlier, there had not been a single cloud in the air above them. Now it was pouring, the rain crashing down in profound clatter. Not to mention that it was also now extremely windy; the wind roared and howled with each intense band.  
_

_**"Your father is gone."** The women told him, calming down somewhat, with her voice growing soft and windy. The fires that burned were quelling, appearing mostly blue; like gas burner set on a low flame. **"He can't hurt you anymore. Let it rest in peace."**_

**_/"Follow me through the raging flames_**  
**_Where we will feel no pain"/_**

_"Yesss, my pet." He crooned in response. A forked tongue then slithered from out between his lips, flickering like a serpent when it tastes the air._

In reaction to having seen the latter, Shizuru had jerked slightly backward. The man's anatomy was just off the wall, bizarre.

_He then shamelessly grabbed a firm hold onto her ass, his hands gently squeezing her butt-cheeks, and then hoisted her up off the ground. And in return, she wrapped her legs around him, straddling his waist. Her hands were gripping the shoulders of his armor, trying her best to hang on. _

Shizuru's face had almost turned red when she had witness_ him drawing a finger sensually down the crack of the lady's backside; which had given him squeak from the female. She then growled at him, the very end of her long, prehensile tail wagging behind her.  
_

_And what did he do? He just grinned at her, and wriggled his eyes in a provocative fashion; like a horny animal...on a quest for a much needed "make-up" session._

_It was obvious that he "eats" her aggression right on up; like a dog lapping up an accidental spill on the floor.  
_

And then suddenly, the memory began to fade away, dispersing, and them along with it; like a mist drifting through the night. _Their silhouettes merged into one._

Not that Shizuru would complain. Actually, she was highly grateful for not being permitted to see any further into this. That's all she needed to know,_ that they were having straight up, rough and wild sex on the ground somewhere. And he looked like the type of animal that would "slam and hammer it" into the girl, savagely, that and they were probably both rather kinky..._

Shizuru isn't stupid, she is psychic. And she had figured out who the girl was perfectly well on her own, or more like "who she is".

And she also had a good memory of her own, remembering what Ref had said in regards of her brother being a "one he had to fight for"; commenting about receiving "scratches all up and down his back".

It wasn't all that ostensive to believe. Their interactions with one another spoke volumes.

**_/I want to die_**  
**_Each time it hurts/_**

_"But there is an uprising…" His voice echoed, increasing in distance. "And I'd rather not lose you…just the thought…pains me…"_

**_/I hear your dying words/_**

And then there had been another invading memory she had seen, as though its purposes was to keep a certain all too familiar wound green.

This moving image was before the period of having been ostracized by his family, redeemed from the deepest, darkest oblivion.

She had been surprised to hear the two hold an adult conversation, between a child and a god, sharing a moment of maturity with one another.

_"Kazu-kun, do you even know what you are saying?" Even though Ref was in female form, his voice was rather deep, hoarse and mature for a little girl. There was no innocence in the child's voice and, _in Shizuru's opinion_, she sounded to be quite the little virago; a REAL troublemaker, all balled up in searing rage and spite. "We've crossed this boundary many times before. You are too young to understand."_

_**/Where my soul is crying alone**_  
_**I seek you/**_

_Her raven hair was incredibly long, untamed with a flair of wildness._

_Those smut black ears were definitely of that of a tail-wagger's, a canine of a more primitive pedigree;_ and for Shizuru, they explained perfectly well enough as to why that Devil was giving airs on wanting to dry hump her brother's leg back at Sun's shrine.

_Her pale skin possessed a bluish tint; analogous to the description of a lifeless, once suffocated corpse. And those wide set eyes bore a great resemblance in shape with another's. Those characteristics were noticeably seen of a certain three eyed, fire demon's, and yet, still those optical orbs possessed their own individuality._

_She certainly was a little vampire, especially with those razor-like teeth and fangs. A little death pixie._

_She didn't wear a dress, like common little girls do, though her attire was rather swanky. The masculinity that she possessed was a dead give away, especially with her tom-boyish attire: Sporting a black vest and a red tie, a white dress shirt, a black pair of slacks, a fashionable red jacket, and her black and white pat-and-leather dress shoes._

_Those blood red orbs of her's possessed a coppery gleam, whenever she laid her gaze upon the boy._

_**"I know what love is like, what love is…"** Shizuru's brother had answered, determined to get his point across. **"What it's about… You told me so yourself. You told me that love is like when you can't bare to be apart from a certain person, that you wish to share your life with that person, and you would do anything to make it happen."** His face fell downward, his body grew tense and shaky.** "And I feel those things. I don't know what I'd do without you, Yuki-chan. In fact, I don't think I could bare it, even the thoughts of it scares me."**_

**_/Here where the sun never seems_**  
**_You persecute me/_**

Little kids shouldn't engage in conversations like this. It just didn't seem right, chiefly when such matters were concerning Kazuma.

He was far too young to be addressing matters that situated in the regions of profound love. He was too young to be making such a declaration, no matter how touching or sweet it was.

_"Are you sure that isn't your puerile anxieties speaking?" The girl asked, her eyes addressing his developing behavior. "Or are you playing around?" Her brows lowered, knitting together as she narrowed her gaze in a serious and chilling manner. "If so, allow me to provide you with a heartfelt warning: I am not in the mood to play these sort of mind games, not with you…not right now. The matter that you're addressing is a tender one. So, spare me by changing the subject."_

_The boy's head shot up, becoming absolutely fretful. **"No, I know what I feel! And what I feel is real!" **He exclaimed with fervor, all the while holding his hand over his heart. **  
**_

_**/We are united under cover of darkness**_  
_**With the clouds heavy with the shadow on/**_

_The girl's face had softened, faintly, at his rash response. "Are you sure that you're not in love with his form? That what you feel is merely a little crush?" She then looked discouraged, as though a sudden sadness had fallen upon her. And for once, a person could manage to see right through her and see who she really is; both her ruse and her resolve failing little by little. "You know that what you see is a part of me, and a disguise to deceive these people. Surely, you must not forget that."_

It had been all too obvious.

Ref wanted the boy to love him for him, for who he truly is. And not be fancied with his masquerade. The circumstance was truly a classic case, of one better seen in timely movies.

_**"No, I have not forgotten."** The boy answered, and clearly, he was sincere as he could be about the matter. **"And no, it's not because I've grown accustomed to this form. I…love you, Ref. Please, don't leave me."**_

_**/When I baptize your heart with my tears/**_

Shizuru stared at the memory, observing her brother as he was on the brink of shedding tears. For some reason, she had always detested seeing him in such a pitiful shape; mostly because it showed weakness.

Ref was Kazuma's first love, in fact, his true love.

Shizuru's heart panged as she watched, before a sudden nausea overcame her. She felt downright shitty on the inside.

_**/I still hear your dying words**_  
_**"Come with me"/**_

That sentimental moment had woken up an unpleasant memory of her own. She remembered what her family had done, terribly. That they had selfishly pulled these two apart, separating them for what reason that they claimed was "for the best".

One was without the other through out most of her brother's life, and the most important years of his life at that. And yet, through the eyes of a human, their relationship was unorthodox and degenerate.

Their course of action had seemed honorable, but in all integrity it had been unfair.

Whilst most of her family tended to her brother's "ailment", her uncle had been placed in charge of dealing away with "the demon".

_**/And still deep inside it burns**_/  
_**  
**_

Her uncle may have been responsible for converting their dead-beat stepfather, but he was a different brand of cruel than Masato was. Simply put, her uncle showed no mercy to any demon or devil he ever happened to meet. Like the rest of their clan, he viewed these species to be unqualified monsters, and that not one could not be trusted.

**_/"Follow me through the raging flames_**  
**_Where we will feel no pain"/_**

The man had driven a sacred relic through the Devil's chest, right where the heart would've been. He had used an old fashioned, metal stake that had been blessed by a priest… And for this, for having denied the Devil of what was rightfully His, her uncle had proven to be the greatest monster.

**_/I want to die_**  
**_Each time it hurts_**  
**_I hear your dying words/_**

It was a nightmare, a miserably depressing nightmare.

And their family was to blame. They were to blame for many things. One happened to be Kazuma's view on anything that he perceived to be far from human, which had been part of their fundamental teachings.

She didn't want to see these memories, but it would seem that she had no other choice but to. She just wanted to find her brother. Was that too much to ask for?

_Yuki's expression displayed an impression of tranquility, of a crescendo of heavenly bliss. Shining through those eyes was an unreserved devotion, and yet, there was also a shroud of lament. There was such a melancholic warmth and love in those eyes._

Was Reficul that much in love with him, even with a person of this ripe age? Had he loved him even back then as he did now?

_"I will never leave nor forsake you," She delivered her words in keen affection. "You have my solemn vow…as well as my heart. It is an oath that I will keep beyond the end of time. That you are forever mine, and I am forever your's…" She reached over and placed a hand upon him, and rubbed his head in a comforting manner. "But alas, you are still far too young… For now, we must wait."_

_**/I still hear your dying words**_  
_**"Come with me"/**_

_The younger version of Shizuru's looked up at her, sniffling as he wiped the snot fro his nose, making use out of the back of his hand. **"Until the dice is rolled seven or eight?"**_

_She growled at his senselessness. "No, you idjit." She retorted rather grouchily, her nose wrinkling in a snarl. "That's just…asinine."_

_**/And still deep inside it burns/**_

_The boy smiled sheepishly, blushing incredibly.** "I know, I wanted to make a rhyme…"** He blinked, his grin becoming all the more "state of the art" brand of being cheesy. For having suddenly realized something that he felt to be splendid in worth, he noted out loud in a whimsy; **"Hey, that rhymed, too! Well, sort of."**_

Shizuru had snorted at that statement. Her brother could be so stupid at times.

_The girl grunted as she bared her teeth in agitation, her eyes had rolled upwards and towards the backs of their sockets. She didn't have enough patience to be horsing around. "See, this is precisely what I am talking about." She countered, using a "do as I say" tone of voice. Impertinent and unassailable, she certainly was._

This girl was, indeed, Ref...through and through. _  
_

_**/"Follow me through the raging flames**_  
_**Where we will feel no pain"/**_

And by this time, the memory was drawing to an end. And for what she could manage to see, _the girl had gotten down upon her hands and knees, now bowing before the boy that stood as her true form began to take shape. _

_**/I want to die**_  
_**Each time it hurts**_/  
_**  
**_

_"Look, you're still a kid. When you're mature enough, you'll understand…"_

The memory darkened, the light in the room dulling like a hasty retreat. It was no different than that of the prior memory that had been described to you.

_**/I hear your dying words/**_

_"That you are mine." Her voice interwoven with the true voice, merging together as it echoed. His possessiveness clear to a fault. "You have always been mine."_

And with that, everything that was once there had disappeared.

These memories were like a looking glass; too annoying and painfully truthful.

**...TBC...**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

Oi. Another sucky chapter. I tried to update it as soon as I could. I can't answer how many chapters there will be in a book, sorry. That in itself is determined on how the story flows.

And I am sorry I couldn't get it done faster. Not only have I been under the weather, but I had somehow sprung my foot.

Anyway, I wanted to take a step back from "the scary"...to help lighten the mood just a smidgen.

The song is "Dying words" by Nu Pagadi. You all should listen to it. It's a very nice song, although it is sung in German.

Thanks for reading. And thank you all for your reviews. FFN has been acting weird as of late, so please review... This way, I'll know you've liked reading this chapter.


	54. Ch10 p3

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is dark. Very dark. Could be loads darker, too.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**OLD FRIEND**

**Part Three**

**[Dark Remnants of Dead]  
**

_"I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul_  
_I'd turn it back, it's my fault_  
_Your destiny is forlorn_  
_Have to live till it's undone_  
_I'd give my heart, I'd give my soul_  
_I'd turn it back_  
_And then at last I'll be on my way."_

-Within Temptation; Jillian (I'd Give My Heart)"

**oOo**

Upon reaching the eighth level, she had entered into a dancing fog of energy. Being that her intuitive senses were incredibly strong, she possessed the ability to see what others could not.

Dark spirits were flying about, drifting and cascading through the air. In the human sense, they were defined as being "boogers"; the capers that go bump in the night.

These creatures were morbid, pitch black figures, and all were various shapes and sizes that she could not describe them all.

They were riveting as they waltzed around, and though they were ghosts, their joints crackled and their bones jingled with every movement. Withered loose flesh hanging off their bones, their eyes black and hollow, skin sunken in and clinging to every joint imaginable that can be perceived to be the human's skeletal structure. They were garbed in elaborate and elegant attire that could be dated back to the 1700s and fit that of what the English had worn in those days. These corpses swayed with much majesty, held high reverence and possessed a personality that is to be desired.

Shizuru was not afraid of them, however, and neither was she alarmed.

The room was extravagant, lush in antiquity. To stand in the shadow of the morbid, gothic stylizations, was to bathe in the aura of another time… One of refinement, mysticism, and majestic beauty; if death was ever once perceived to be beautiful.

Three of the specters came towards her, their sallow, death-like features reminded her of "The Dance Macabre"; which had intruded in the artwork during the late medieval period.

"Beware…" One of the spirits cautioned. "For beyond this floor lies The Grisly Terror."

Another nodded in agreement, then chimed in, adding his own two cents into this conversation; "She has bestowed many of horrid fates upon mortals, bringing them face to face with their own mortality."

The third had moved in closer, now standing beside her. His garments stated that he was a French marquis.

"Once, she had unleashed a terrible disease, the ones the mortals call 'The Black Death'." He informed. "She lingers like a horrifying shadow. In her mind, lies horrendous nightmares and monsters that one dares no attempt to utter, let alone even think about. They are appalling and apocalyptic."

"You don't say." Shizuru remarked, unmoved by their warnings. "And what of you? Are you afraid?"

"No. She is her highness." The third one had answered quite promptly. He had taken off his hat, bowing his head and his torso slightly forward in a courteous manner, when he had mentioned her title. "With a single command, we do as she pleases. We are her shadow."

She didn't know whether to believe those words or not. Perhaps the spirit had been speaking "figuratively"...

They all seemed to praise this "Queen", setting her up high on a pedestal, speaking and singing in tongues that sounded much like gibberish to the human ear.

Genkai said had said once said that her brother's powers were like that of an egg, and that they had yet hatch… And by this time, she honestly wondered how much power did he truly hold.

She then left the scene in a hurry, feeling that she had wasted too much valuable time.

She marched through the crowd and entered the next hall, finding her way into yet another room...

Abruptly, she ceased in her tracks.

Shizuru stared in awe, with eyes transfixed upon a fountain flowing with blood.

Although, it wasn't so much of a fountain as it was a bleeding tree, and a twisted, leafless mulberry at that. Some of its branches were coiled and wretched, its trunk furrowed, and its disfigured shape was littered with tumor-shaped knots. Its bark was blackened, perhaps from the blood that had seeped through. It was a marvel, really, to see how a tree was flowing with blood instead of sap.

And in the stone, near the roots of the tree, was a peculiar looking symbol.

Three rings were encompassing one another, and in the inner most circle was something even more uncanny. It appeared to be two stars jointed together; like Siamese twins, except with two heads and one complete body. The six-pointed or two headed star had formed, in its design, what looked to be a shape of an eye right in the center.

So far, very little blood had collected around the base of the suffering tree, around the roots.

She had no idea as to what this meant, but she had an eerie feeling that it was foreshadowing something significant…

…Something that had to do with her baby brother…

Refusing to stand there any longer, she quickened herself to reach the final level.

It seemed that there was the only place he could possibly be.

She passed many rooms on this floor, refusing to be further distracted from her goal. It was as if many things were trying to deter her, to tempt her away.

Nevertheless, she was determined.

Damn, she so badly needed a cigarette, she could practically taste it.

**...TBC...**

**

* * *

**

**Author's Comments: **

The tree does have a meaning. You'll have to figure it out. If you can recall what I've written so far, perhaps you can.

This is perhaps my shortest chapter so far. The song "Jillian" by Within Temptation, by the way, is Shizuru's theme song in this story; the lyrics are from her point of view.

I want to thank all who have reviewed the last chapter. Thank you KM17 and Saya. I am glad that you have all enjoyed that chapter. It pleases me to know that.

Thank you all for reading, please review. FFN is still acting strangely.


	55. Ch10 p4

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is dark. Very dark. Could be loads darker, too.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**OLD FRIEND**

**Part Four**

**[Where The Sidewalk Ends]**

So here she was, beneath the howling stars and following a river of blood. Every step of the way had been lit by flame, the dancing lights upon torches.

This hall was actually a lot more ominous than the rest of the fortress, namely because of the heavy air and the menacing vibes…

The dimensions were large, very roomy, and yet, also very empty. The structures were carved from the obsidian rock rather than being placed here, so it would appear, and the design of the support beams on the walls and on the ceiling were like the ribs and spine of a skeleton; like being inside of a colossal beast's belly.

This was the lead way to the lowest and final level, and yet, with everything being so topsy-turvy around here it seemed as though she was upon the roof and above the world. Perhaps there was an even lower level than the ninth, and maybe, just maybe someone had brought her here.

Everything was backwards and utterly confusing. The edifice was deceiving, or nothing was what it seemed.

She doubted that she would be permitted to contact a lawyer and sue whoever was in charge. Not that anyone would believe her, nor would anyone take the case. Bottom-line, it was futile to beseech, arraign or throw a fit.

And then, at the end of this winding tunnel, where there were no more walls or ceiling…

She had, at last, found him.

There he was, sitting on the edge of a platform, above a short case of stairs that lead downwards into a large glowing pit of a swirling cesspool of blood and fiery ectoplasmic misery. It looked pithy and gelatinous, a primeval ooze of sorts. There were massive, black structures that arched over the pit, not completely, but like coiled fingers.

_**/Like a Jew in ancient Spain**_  
_**And for Christ's name did pay with pain**_  
_**Modern day inquisition/**_

He was feeding cephalopod-like creatures below him, swimming and jostling in that ghastly goop. He was dropping in body parts, limbs that were cut and torn adequate sized portions. And by the looks of it, as horrible as it were, they were parts severed from demons.

The meat and the blood made sickening plats and squishing sounds whenever they came in contact with something else solid. The blood was like dripping water, nerve racking and continuous; still spilling from the veins and vessels inside the tissues and bones.

_**/What is the link between these crafts?**_  
_**Doctores and thieves, they both**_  
_**wear masks**_  
_**Overpaid meat magicians/**_

An ample reason for the cause of her own nausea. Her composure was twisting; like someone stirring a stick in the mud.

_**/Life is Killing Me**_  
_**Life is Killing Me**_  
_**Life is Killing Me/**_

He had on a straitjacket, one with sleeves torn off at the elbows; from where she walked, which had been to his left, she could see the straps on the back in which to tighten it with. He also had on genuine black biker's boots and matching black leather, spiked pants. The pants' legs were covered, from top to bottom, in leather straps with buckles, like tiny belts studded with the stained, gunmetal spikes.

Around his wrists, however, were chains, and they were also around his waist, his upper thighs, his ankles and his neck. He even had a large chain bolted to the center of his chest, right over his heart.

Beside him was a leather cylinder with iron shafts, the fabric and the metal were torn in half, resting in two separate pieces. Shizuru recognized these shackles very well. It was a "Kin" or a seal, a technique that her family uses and is well noted for. This maneuver had been passed down through the centuries, used to bind demons and other dark spirits. And it was a special technique, one that only certain humans can perform; along with the technique called "Ring", in which a persona can manipulate the "soul" of any matter for whatever effect that is desired.

**_/Your doctorate and Ph.D._**  
**_Would wipe my ass etched in feces_**  
**_Will not cure your affliction/_**

Tears threatened to swell in her eyes again. He was chained up like some beast, as though he was some sort of wild animal.

And he was sitting there as a lonely, hapless dark figure.

_**/Doctors Jeckyll or Mengele**_  
_**And your face too, they're just a blur**_  
_**Can't improve my condition/**_

But as she grew closer, she had noticed even more unsettling details…

His fingernails were black and long, and they appeared to be incredibly sharp. Blood trailed from his fingertips, his fists and upper arms were covered in the crimson. Blood also trailed from his mouth, namely from the corners of his lips, all the way down his chin. His face was shrouded in darkness, his eyes hidden from her in black shadow. And his curly hair, though in numerous brains, was a sullied mess; some of the strands had gotten free from their restraints, appearing savage, frizzy and irregular in length. Needless to say, he looked as though he had been through HELL, a different hell all of his own...

He was probably salvaging what was left of him, and trying to hold it all together.

_**/Life is Killing Me**_  
_**Life is Killing Me**_  
_**Life is Killing Me/**_

For not having shown any signs or hints that he knew that she was there, Shizuru believe him to be caught in a daze. Wrapped in a strange and unsettling trance; like a blanket suffocating an innocent, defenseless baby.

Now that she was standing beside him, this had been made clear to her.

"Kazuma, I'm sorry!" She spoke up, speaking out loud in hopes to jerk him back into reality. "I had promised to always be there for you, to protect you, and to keep you out of trouble…"

"This is my world to be since birth, for this I was born." He mumbled, his voice hoarse and dry; like sand or gravel. "For this, I breathed my first breath into existence."

_**/Appointment made, waited three hours**_  
_ **Did not realize you had such power**_  
_ **I'd rather see a mortician/**_

Shizuru frowned at him, her brow puckered. Seeing him locked in such a stupor was breaking her heart. His words had not only moved her, melting her own icy interior, but it had also brought pain… It had hurt her deeply and terribly.

She had been trained to be strong, to be fearless, and to never allow pain to consume her… She had to be strict and to be as formidable as a brick wall. But now, it seemed as though those very things, the things that she had been raised to hate the most, were here… Accumulating and bombarding against her own will.

_**/Your parents saved or had the bucks**_  
_**Your education stems from luck**_  
_**Future corpse: death by physician/**_

Darkness was taking over her brother, bit by bit. And the cruelty of The Beast was on the rise.

She continued in trying to reach out to him, her voice rasping from the betrayal of her own emotions; "But instead, I had turned my back on you, just as everyone else had… And for that, I'm sorry… I'm…so…sorry…"

She had tried her best to apologize, her confession being far from a lie.

But he had said nothing more, his silence ringing painfully through her ears. He didn't even try to acknowledge her, not even once.

No matter what anyone else had said, in her eyes, her brother had been beautiful. He had a beautiful soul, a perfect soul. He was an angel, both literally and figuratively. He had cared when no one else would. He had set aside his own selfishness for the good of mankind. He had made the sacrifices, what was needed, when others had refused.

**_/I have no choice: devoid of rights_**  
**_So pull the plug, it's my damned life/_**

…But when he had cried out, when he had called out for someone to hear… He only heard own his words, which had echoed at him… No one was there… …To stop his soul from bleeding…

…People just sneered at him, purposely pushing him away. And as he had walked down those school halls, they talked about him behind his back…

…He had relived the days of his blackened childhood, back when he used to be bullied by the other kids. Living the life of constant blame, where others had undermined him while seeking to control him…

_**/Keep me alive to increase your bill**_  
_** A Red Cross hell? - the hospital!/**_

…They kept labeling him…kicking him around for their own entertainment…

…In the long run, their greed had sapped away his faith in humanity, draining him of his kindness…

…He had tried to be "Mr. Brightside", but that had lead him slap-dab in the middle of "nowhere"…

_**/Just let me die with dignity**_  
_**It's not suicide, simply mercy/**_

…He had been blinded by a beautiful lie and, for morality's sake, he fought hard to believe in... And, in turn, had ended up as a "tragedy"…

…He had been torched by reality; like a witch being burned at the stake for both dabbling in magick and for her acts of hypocrisy…

_**/Just who do you think you are?**_  
_**Medical school don't make you God/**_

His had once floated like a feather, in a beautiful world. He had made the world seemed beautiful, that living was worth the pain and aggravation… He had made everything seem worthwhile, that everything was precious…

He was so special, if only he could see that.

_**/Now I don't care what you've been taught**_  
_**Just get me off this life support/**_

She wished she could tell him that, but those words stuck in her mouth.

He was the ultimate sense of good. But the good die young, or fall twice as hard as any that had ever fallen.

_**/Just let me die with dignity**_  
_**It's not suicide, simply mercy/**_

This was no place for him, and yet, for some cruel reason or another…paradise had been denied of him.

Her walls were beginning to crumble, and those unshed tears swelling up in her eyes again. She was losing control of herself, standing here….watching him be like this, and for seeing him in this state.

He was on the brink of the inferno and she was close to the fire.

And his apathy towards her revealed an even more unsettling truth, that he was frozen inside.

...The world was killing her brother...

_**/Life is killing me/**_

"Please, look at me when I am talking to you!" She cried out at him in a sharp and angry tone, fearing that he might get up and run away from her again. "I know that you know that I am here! ...Have you become SO numb, that even I am now DEAD to you?"

_**/Life is killing me/**_

All she had received was more silence from him, not even hearing her own anger could manage to stir him. He hadn't flinch at all.

_**/Life is killing me/**_

Her breath shook inside her, with her body now trembling, as the tears finally began falling. Her resolve had failed, and she was being consumed by sorrow.

_**/Life is killing me**__**/  
**_

She covered her face with her hands in shame.

**_/I said "Life is killing me"/_**

But he wasn't what he seemed, not what she believed…at first…

_**/Life is killing me/**_

But Shizuru continued to weep over her losses, her own tears burning her flesh as it baptized her. She felt hopeless and abandoned. And most of all…

**_/I said "Life is killing me"/_**

She had been too late to save him.

_**/Life is killing me/**_

The pain that she felt soon gave way into hate.

_**/Life is killing me**_  
_**Life is killing me/**_

Hatred began to swell up inside of her, of self loathing and animosity towards the world.

Inside, she blamed them. She blamed them all with conviction… For having assisted in destroying something SO incredibly beautiful, so mesmerizing and irreplaceable.

His feathers, she imagined, were all falling. Falling all around her, the fibers splotched by his blood.

Was this her payment for having done nothing but watched as he destroyed himself? And for allowing the world to have their fun with him? And for not combating against the darkness that sought after him? And for permitting pain to consume him?

Her legs and feet were so sore, aching from all the travel she had pushed herself through. Moreover, she had witnessed things that haunt her for the rest of her miserable existence, things that could never be washed away no matter how hard one could scrub. Was that not enough? She did it for him! She had done it all for him!

And though they had not appreciate him enough, but she as sure as hell did!

As far as she was concerned at the moment, everyone else could just go fuck themselves. They could all just go fuck themselves with a searing hot poker, and then finish themselves by jump off the tallest building to their deaths. Let it be a mass suicide, she didn't care.

She had always loved him, from the bottom of her heart, even though she knew that everything was destined to go all wrong. She had loved him, not like a sister, but like a mother feels towards the fruit of her own womb. She had played the part of his surrogate mother, more so than her own mother.

She wanted to scream, to yell at heaven…for its lies…

**"You're not dead to me."** came a sudden answer, as though it had came straight from heaven itself.

The sound was like music to her ears, literally.

Shizuru looked up from her hands, her face sopping wet and a puddle of tears collected in her palms.

She had thought or believed that her brother had finally spoken to her. After all, it had been his voice that she had heard. His sweet voice, filled with so much love and care.

At first, she was in awe, as though salvation had came at last… And that her attempts, no matter how feeble that they might have seen, had not been in vain…

That her angel had at last returned. People can keep their demons if they wish, for what she longed for was an entirely different creature. Something that was a rare find.

But before her eyes, her brother morphed. And to her dismay, his features had darkened all the more.

His golden halo had transformed into a dark vermillion hue, which continued to darken by every split second.

And when he had turned his head to face her, she did not exactly see her brother's face, par say…

A woman smiled at her puckishly, her gun-metal, razor sharp teeth exposed.

From what she could make out in the opaque shadows that shrouded her face, she was a very feminine version of her brother. She had his upturned nose, his high cheekbones, and most of all his orpiment eyes.

She wasn't cute in the slightest bit. No, she was beautiful; drop dead gorgeous. She was like a queen of horror, a Venus of Doom; like those women seen in heavy metal videos. Her eyes were the only Asian-like characteristic she owned, they slanted like an exotic Chinese doll's.

What's more, she was the woman that Shizuru had seen in a number of memories.

But that beauty didn't last for long, for it began to quickly melt away.

Her flaming orange hair wriggled like tentacles, each individual strand of hair breathing like wild fire. She now had thick horns on the very top corners of her forehead, precisely like the one's seen on a dominate male goat.

Shizuru backed away from her immediately. And tried her best to bite back her rage, but her disappointment reigned supreme over her demeanor.

"Where's my brother?" She demanded of her. She was fearful, and yet, she behaved as though she was fearless. "Where's Kazuma? What have you done with him?"

Shizuru took a step forward, stepping closer, all the while narrowing her eyes and shooting daggers. She was enraged for having been deceived, hoodwinked. As of right now, she didn't care who she was dealing with. The lady's trickery having made her terribly sore.

The woman wasn't her brother, and yet, she felt as though he was still here in her presence. In fact, her senses argued with her, telling her that HE was standing right before her… Precisely right where the woman was.

She was wearing the same exact clothes and everything, everything that he wore when she had finally found him. The extra proof in the pudding that did not settle well with the cappuccino haired girl.

The human was staring face to face with "The Beast" itself.

Its lion-like tail curling and uncurling from behind, and at the very tip-end of the tail was a hidden stinger that served very much like a poisoned arrow; or like the venomous tip found on a scorpion. Its long, pointy feline-like ears twitched as it smugly stared at her with interest. Its skin was like a corpse of one who had drowned in a well filled with poison, black veins clashing against alabaster from beneath the epidermis. Out of all of its teeth, those long fangs were the most daunting. And its blackening, hallow-like eyes burning like coal.

From the eyes of a mortal, she was utterly inhuman and a freak of nature. She was SO beautiful, and yet, SO terribly horrendous.

To put it down flat, she possessed an appearance "that only a mother could love".

She was the face of pure, unadulterated EVIL.

And the "angel" that was Shizuru's brother was GONE. There was nothing "heavenly" here to see.

**"Your cousin, you mean."** The woman corrected as she stood up, pushing herself up with just upper body strength alone. Somehow she had managed to keep her balance, despite the fact that she was near the edge of a frightening pit. **"And his earthly given name isn't Kazuma. It's Seth."** The bottom of her boots scratched the surface of the ground below her as she turned herself around, so that she was to completely face the human. **"That's the name he was born with in this life. Kazuma is a fitting name, however, since the name does mean 'Truth' or 'reality'. Oh, and 'Peace'. A safe haven where there is no corruption, which is precisely what you humans believed…where you were keeping him."** She gave a faint laugh, as though what she had mentioned was nothing more than a joke. **"As for him, he's currently asleep. I took this chance to speak with you. I knew you would come for him."**

Shizuru scowled at her as she balled her fists tightly, loathing how this bitch had just SO casually addressed the matter. The lady's attitude was too offensive for her tastes. And anything that had to do with her brother was NO laughing matter, not from her own standpoint.

The woman's smile broadened in return, but this time it seemed rather warm and unthreatening.

For a quick moment, as swift as a flash, she seemed as though she was angelic. As though her goodness was return, her face lit with a surrounding golden aura.

And human girl thought she had seen her brother, staring back at her with those haunting yet divine eyes. He was there, she could see. He seemed so celestial, fitting the very picture of what an angel would be.

However, that moment had been a brief one indeed. The gruesome darkness had returned, just as it had dissipated. And in a blaze, his facial image burned away.

Shizuru was utterly horrified, more so now that she had ever been. She shook her head gently as she tried her best to fight back fresh tears, not wanting to give in again to her emotions.

What that woman had just done, what she had just pulled, was a low blow…even for her standards.

She had known for the longest time that her brother was a "Devil", but to see him for what he genuinely was... Was no less than heartrending.

Her brother was THE Satan, that was the point that had been clearly given. He was The Legend itself, though it had been told wrongly. Most of it is a fabrication of lies, fulfilling its purpose to spread confusion.

The truth hurts, and it had stared her right in the face; like a mad junkyard about to snap its jaws right into her eyes, for daring to intrude into its territory.

"Don't…do…that…EVER." Shizuru snarled behind her teeth in a warning, using all of her strength that she could muster to hold herself back. "Don't do that ever again… Don't use his face against me!" She finished by biting the air, the space that was in between them.

The woman narrowed her eyes at her, the corns of her lips curling upward in amusement. She remembered clearly how Shizuru had treated her brother years ago, how she treated THEM. Back then, she held nothing back, especially when it came to her own aggression.

But now, the human seemed to be in a repentant state. At least for now, that is. She was one tough cookie, one mean mamba-jamba.

The woman continued to speak, unmoved by the other woman's threats; **"What you have seen, and all that you see…is in his mind."** She paused for a passing moment. **"…But he hasn't gotten out of the place he's stuck in. And he IS dying, so to speak… What you knew him to be won't last. All good things must come to an end, and so does everything else with it." **

Shizuru slowly closed her eyes and lowered her head, feeling the despair that defeat was known to bring along.

**"...I had brought you here for a reason, but not simply to give you a tour..."**

**oOoOoOo The Interview oOoOoOo  
**

[Time Frame: Seven Years Back...]

**_"Seth's name would have been Samael, but my father took it upon himself to lead people away from me. Hence the title 'Son of Sam'. As for Seth baring his father's name, well… In time, that will speak for itself..._**

**_"By now, you should know that I am The Devil. Lucifer is not my name, but my significant other's. People tend to get the two of us confused, more often than not..._**

**_"Nevertheless, it's all the same... I have many names, for I am Legion..._**

**_"And to finish answering your question: My family had chosen your in-laws because people do not believe in anything occurring in the same place twice. Even your 'family' had failed to detected anything, that is…until I was reunited with the members of your clan." _**

_"You speak as though I am already a part of them..." argued the one known as Akio. "But I am not married to Sada, even though Shizuru is the fruit of my loins."_

_**"Do not fret, for in time you will be...**_

**_"But yes, I am The Infamous Satan. You know, the guy who everyone associates to be half goat and half man? But I am not a goat, but with these horns everyone tends to think so. And I am not a man. Heck, I am not really female either. I am originally androgynous, just as the rest of my people are. We technically choose a gender that is to our liking and try to stick to it. Its better than being referred to as an 'it'."_**

_"Do I dare ask as to how you…reproduce?" inquired Akio, sounding a bit uneasy._

_**"Well, to answer that…it's similar to flowers. The conditions have to be right, during the right season, and the dominate one of a pair must provide the sperm at that very moment. Being androgynous means that we are all both male and female. A star doesn't have to be female to bare children with another star. However, if a star multiplies with another species, chances are…the child will usually be a male. Females are tremendously rare. Oh, and a male star cannot multiply with another male of a different species. It just doesn't work. We can't cross pollinate like that. Other males of different species lack the right mechanics or tools, particularly both male humans and male demons."**_

_Akio contemplated these words, combing over them carefully. "Well, that's…good to know…"_

_**"However, they can manage to get us pregnant. Knocked up, if you will."**_

_Akio's face faltered. "Oh, hell. That's just fucking wonderful."_

_**"Tell me about it. That's one reason why stars are so coveted after. And you people say that we're a lusty, promiscuous genus... Coming up with senseless inanities about how we lusted after women, and the reason being for their long hair... **_

_**"The purpose of other species being either male or female is simple. Not only to be fruitful and multiply, but also to keep the populations at a balance… You see where that has failed, haven't you? Thanks to Spirit World, humans generally believe that they are ultimately special, separate from other animals. Well, that notion isn't necessarily far from the truth… But humans were never suppose to think in such a manner. They were supposed to take care of the earth, but instead they are destroying it…along with everything else they fail to understand. Furthermore, over the years of conditioning, they've lost their touch with nature. In fact, most have becoming ignorant of their built in instincts...**_

_**"Man has also become a very selfish creature."**_

_"From what you are telling me, you don't sound evil." was Akio's assessment. And by that time, he knew that this was more than just a mere dream; his common sense had told him that much. "In fact, you sound far from it."_

**_"Oh?"_**

_"Yes, I have a feeling that, deep down, you are a good person." Akio had stated, with both confidence and optimism. "You'll make a fine progeny, if only you will allow me to be your father."  
_

_**"Ehh… That is not my decision to make, Agent. Sorry, but Seth is still in command. And as for your prior statement... **_

_**"According to human myth, I am also The Antichrist, or The Beast of The Apocalypse. Speaking of which, you humans all think that my objective is to attack those of a certain race, a certain ethnic of people and rule over a little smidge of land...**_

**_"That has got to be the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard in all my existence..._**

**_"Why would I center all of my hatred on a single race of people? Because they are 'God's Chosen'? That's ludicrous. There is no chosen race! No human is better than the other! That in itself is the pride of man speaking. And why on earth would I settle for Israel, when I already own the world already? The universe and everything in it is already mine! It all belongs to me!..._**

_**"According to your ancient 'mythologies', my people were called 'Sky Guardians'. Back then, people had worshipped and held reverence for the stars…and for better reason, the stars had created them. We're the so called 'aliens' that ancient astronauts theorists believe in. As for the images of alien-like beings seen in the media… Well, they are chimeras from another world; A.K.A. demons. Most demons can't fly, so they come up with technology to fulfill their desires...**_

_**"In modern times, in religions such as Christianity, Islam, and Judaism refer to us as being 'Angels'... However, only a certain number of us are qualified 'messengers'. I tell you the truth, that the role of a messenger is an occupation, not a classification...  
**_

_**"Now to clear things up even more, allow me to inform…that when I had fallen…one third of my people had followed me. The rest had fallen with my father, which had occurred at a later date. My people are very loyal to one another, Agent, especially to both my father and me. And if you ever see a Star betray his own kind, then he has rid himself of who he truly is...**_

_**"And he has also betrayed himself...**_

_**"That was the mistake that I had once made. I did envy man, but not in the way that people believe...  
**_

_**"And now, I have no choice but to redeem myself, if I am ever to be reunited with my people... But for me to do that, I must shed my mortal binds. I must cease to remain human. Until then, I am lost. I have been, for the longest time."**_

_Akio was grievous to hear that. __"That's so sad... To be lost like that. You must be so, terribly lonely. I can't begin to imagine how that must feel. Pretty crummy, I bet."**  
**_

_**"Yes, well... Moving on... Now, please allow me to confide in you Seth's history..."  
**_

**...TBC...**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

Well, she had finally found him...or so it seems. Sorry for the wait.

The song is "Life is Killing Me" by Type O Negative.

Thanks Saya for the review. And yes, that tree holds a significant meaning. Just think aback to the previous chapter, or skim through them.

Please review or leave a comment. And thank you very kindly for reading. I hope you've enjoyed reading.


	56. Ch10 p5

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is dark. Very dark. Could be loads darker, too.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**OLD FRIEND**

**Part Five**

**[The Ordeal]  
**

_"When Satan wants to seduce you, he doesn't send you an evil deed to do, because that you will resist. He sends you a good deed to do at the wrong time and in the wrong context, and that will seduce you."_

-Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Kotzk

**oOo**

She had became a dark and ominous figure, outlined in a dark orange vermillion aura with golden rays that seemed like sunshine. In her pitch-black yes, there burned orbs of licking flames. And as she walked, her boots hissed with smoke that billowed out from between the cracks and the seams, which formed into the shapes of horrific faces before dissipating.

"What do you want?" Shizuru spat, slowly backing away from her as she watched this Devil's every movement.

The fallen Goddess smiled at her, appearing more heinous than those images of wicked apparitions seen when the media attempts to explain the forces behind Satanic activities. **"I want you to help him…"** was her reply. **"To wake up."**

Shizuru sent her a dirty, condemning look.

"What do you mean 'wake up'?" She scrutinized, raising a brow at her.

She continued to keep an eye on this "beast", her heart pounding in her chest. Normally, she wasn't afraid of anything, but as of right now, she couldn't help but to make an exception…

Mind you, anyone who was in their right mind, would shit or piss on themselves IF they were in her position.

She was as terrified as any person who, bearing in mind the concept of dying, ending up in the hands of Josef Mengele.

She recalled the classes that her brother had aced in, ones which he had enjoyed attending the most, which had been science, chemistry, and anatomy. Surprisingly, he wasn't so good as the other classes, namely because he had been so focus with becoming a doctor in hopes to impress Yukina.

He used to bring his studies and work home with him, which had not only included numerous amounts of textbooks, but also lifeless frogs, worms, squid and other various poor creatures soaked in formaldehyde. He knew how to properly dissect organisms, had experimented to see what made them "tick".

…But that was to expected, since he had been molded in conditions no different than what Skinner would provide in his own experimentations…in means to explain radical behaviorism, reinforcement, verbal behavior, and conditioning…

Some would say that he was on his way of entering into the medical field. However, in her eyes, he was only a little bit away from becoming a mortician.

He had even went as far to work for a funeral home, which unfortunately had been his very first occupation. He had studied and worked with dead bodies by the last two months of high school, all because the funeral director had developed a friendship with him; that old man was nice, but a REAL creeper.

But in the end, he had abandoned that dream… And for two main reasons: One, his "girlfriend" had cheated on him. Two, the price of becoming a physician was way too steep. Even with the scholarships that he had earned, he still did not possess nearly half of the amount of money to obtain such a license.

After he had left home, she had learned a year later that he was attempting to attend law school, mostly aiming to achieve a degree in Criminal Justice; the other interest in his existence.

Think about it. If you combine the mind of a mortician or a physician with the knowledge of a lawyer and a detective together… No matter how you look at it, you end up with something frightening.

If he wanted to, he could screw you over in more ways than one.

But Kazuma wasn't The Evil One here, not hardly.

[_He possessed the personality traits found similar in John Lennon's: Charismatic, self-righteous, opinionated, verbally brave, head in the clouds, reflective, lives in a fantasy world, hopeless romantic, involved in social values, thinks of the future, flexible, adaptable, conceptual, and theoretical._

_Amusingly, Kazuma was the odd one in the bunch. He was part Asian, part Caucasian. He came from Britain, but had been mostly raised in Japan. He had lost his family, and in turn, had lived with relatives. He wasn't a demon, not in the least. When he wore sunglasses, he always fashioned himself in sporting those classic rose tinted shades, with thin frames that were either round or narrow rectangles in shape. And he was the one who had broken away from his team._

_Want more examples?_

_Yusuke's songs had always been more bouncy; which had suited to his personality. Kazuma's songs, on the other hand, were usually much deeper and had a slower rhythm. Yusuke's lyrics possessed content liken to that of Paul McCartney's. Kazuma had created a few "off the wall" songs in his time. _

_...Sadly, Kazuma had written many songs that had never made it onto the record, instead they had all been flushed down the drain..._

_Kazuma's "I'm a knight in shining armor" outlook was a resemblance to John's "I am The Walrus". As for Yusuke, addressing the matters concerning his affections, or towards those whom he cherished and loved, was similar to "Hey Jude". Kazuma's mentality was like the songs "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds", "Strawberry Fields Forever, and "Across The Universe". But Yusuke's outlook on life, however, were like the songs "Live And Let Die" and "All Things Must Pass". Kazuma's firmest beliefs were like "Instant Karma", his childhood was "Mother", his viewpoint on worldly matters were "Give Me The Truth" and "Imagine", and his life was summed up in the song "Help". "That Was Me" spoke for Yusuke's uncompromising ego. "I Don't Want to Spoil The Party" was Kazuma's feelings directed towards how Yukina had stood him up.  
_

_The two were both rebellious, but in their own separate ways. Kazuma craved for peace, while Yusuke yearned to have fun._

_Yusuke also had that "bad boy" image to him. Kazuma, on the other hand, was considered to be a "goody-goody"._

_Kazuma had also made more mistakes than the rest of his team; being a born leader, he was better off on his own rather than competing with his team._

_He had flaws, one happened to be his jealousy. He had the tendency to be more jealous than the others, and hang onto it with an iron grip; just as he could very well hold a grudge, if someone did something that he found to be utterly unforgivable.  
_

_And though many loved Kazuma, SO many hated him even more. People had despised Yusuke, too, but when he had ascended to fame... Well, he had more "fans" than bitter "enemies"._

_And finally, the two argued and fought…a lot._

_Two heads are not always better than one, especially when all that those 'two heads' do is continuously fight. _

_Not every friendship lasts forever. Even the best of friends break up, even if they were built upon brotherly love. And truth be told, most people do not keep the relationships that they once had when they were growing up. It doesn't matter how much history a person has with someone, anything can still come and break everything apart. _

_People change and people move on. Some move onto greener pastures, believing to have found something else more important or better in life.  
_

_...Kurama would have been Ringo Starr, the "musically creative" of the group; i.e. for his intellect or brainpower, not to mention his notoriety, experience or preexisting popularity. While Hiei would have been the considered "silent" George Harrison; which was self explanatory...  
_

_And if given an option of whether or not to remain together… If they had to choose between the members of their team or the love of their lives…_

_Kazuma, without a second thought, would pick his lover over his friends. He would also go off and "save the world" by his lonesome, or find another way to go about achieving that goal._

_Yusuke, however, wishes to keep everything and live for the moment. He accepted matters as they were, as they appeared. And if he changes, he regarded it in a "come what may" attitude. He also tends to brood over the past, more than anyone else does._

_Friendship lasts for a season or two, but true love lasts forever.  
_

_The two lived in separate worlds, had different viewpoints and opinions on how to live. Yusuke was involved with things that he loved the most, while Kazuma's mind was focused on the world around him._

_For Kuwabara, nothing ever really changes, even when things actually did. Even when he, himself, had changed… Everything had remained the same in his eyes. Technically, he viewed Yusuke as he had done before they had became friends. So, nothing had changed, at least in his mind._

_Kazuma had VOLUNTEERED his services, which had separated him from the other three. His help had not been required, not even once, but he had assisted them anyway… For the good of mankind._

_He just wanted to help people. Unlike the other three, he against warfare, and he fought in every way possible to prevent it._

_A humanitarian at heart._

_During his better days, he had participated in community service._

_He loved all the good things that life had to offer, such as natural beauty and laughter. He was SO human, more human than Yusuke was. Unlike the others, he enjoyed the simple things; like stargazing and feeling the ocean's waves crash against your feet._

_He was down to earth, and yet, he was also far in space._

_And for Kazuma's decisions, the others had grown sore at him. And from the moment of his departure, matters that had concerned them had went downhill from there. "Team Urameshi" was honestly DEAD, though the other three were bent on trying to keep it alive._

_His friends had belittled him for his mentality._

_People think they know Kazuma, but they honestly do not._

_No one besides a few people had really ever known him. For one, he wore a lot of masks; that is, there was way more to him than what meets the eye. He was much deeper than anyone would ever surmise. And he was also very leery of people, namely those whom he believed he couldn't trust. Usually, you had to win his trust in order for him to have faith in you._

_He always addressed the goodness in people, but others had jumped the gun by taking it all the wrong way. They didn't quite get him, not at all. He didn't hold anything personal against demons, really, but people sure believed that he did. He didn't appreciate their beliefs, that they considered themselves to be much better than other creatures. He also hated how they lacked consideration for other people's feelings, especially those of human's. They were so high and mighty, he couldn't help but to feel disgruntled towards them._

_Quite frankly, he didn't approve of prejudice._

_However, he was more forgiving than the others. In fact, he was the kindest and most compassionate person amongst the other three…_

_But everyone has a dark side, unfortunately._

_And the brighter the light, the darker the shadow._

_The opposing force of being human, is becoming a demon. The direct opposite of what it is to be an Angel, however, is to be a Devil._

_Kurama, who had been the healer, will become a purveyor of harm._

_Yusuke, who had once fought for both fun and the greater good, will have to participate in on going wars and bloodshed._

_Hiei, who had made sacrifices, will take back what was once his and more._

_And as for Kazuma, that meant that he was to become a messenger of death. That everything that he had once touched with his love will die, for he brings death with him like a blackened cloud…hovering in the cold night sky. To cascade through the open windows of children's cradles, to suck the very life from your baby's breath…_

_…Death is unconquerable and is the most feared amongst mortals._

_He will become the very thing that he fears the most. The one who once gave life, will have to take it all away. And he will no longer spare anyone, there will be no more mercy._]

Even so, what he knew, this monster also knew.

**"Well, it's not so simple, you see."** The Goddess began to explain as she loomed towards her. **"But I need you to help him further realize where he stands in this life. I need you to help him, help me…"** She stated as she eloquently motioned from Shizuru to herself. **"All I ask for is satisfaction. The Retribution of my enemies, for their crimes against me. To be more concise, I need you to tell him the truth."**

Shizuru's heart had sank back down, real low. She knew what this lady wanted, and quite frankly, it discouraged her.

"Why can't you do it yourself, if it's that important to you?" Shizuru asked rhetorically, continuing on giving her the third degree. She tried be steadfast, as best as she could.

**"Because I cannot."** The Goddess promptly stated, still remaining unphased by the human's tenaciousness. **"These binds, or seals, forbid me to. Therefore, I cannot assist him any more than I have been."**

Shizuru swallowed, feeling the heat finally get to her. By being so horrendously close to this Devil, she could literally feel the heat rolling off to her in waves.

"You… You're asking too much from me." She stated uncomfortably, beginning to lose her composure. "And how do you suppose I do that? In fact, why should I even assist you in any nefarious plots you, obviously, have in stored? Have you forgotten what my people had done to you?"

All of this was so very conflicting, you see. But for Shizuru, there was no place to run, and no place to hide from this being's confrontation and lack of subtlety.

The two were meandering, one backing away in circles while the other followed her steps.

Shizuru was on the losing end the battle, that much she could perceive.

Her mind was racing. Her candles being burnt on both ends. Technically speaking, her time was being spent.

Important Note: Quarrelling with The Devil, one should never attempt. Not if their sanity depended upon it.

Shizuru had been foolishly abrasive when catechizing, which had been a bold move indeed. And she was expecting nothing less than to receive a stark reaction from the other woman; like having her head bitten clean off her shoulders.

But much to her surprise, the woman's persona had remained at an even keel.

**"Your family had, indeed, placed these chains upon me, however…"** The Goddess had stated calmly, batting her eyelashes in a querky, leisurely manner. **"You are not responsible for their crimes. With these chains, I cannot awaken him. And when he is finally free, I will stretch out my hand and smite those who dare question me. I will destroy those who dare try to contain me. In the end, they will be nothing more than the pig shit and swallow…"** She then smiled fiendishly when adding; **"…that which they've always been."**

"But Kazuma… Seth… He is not a monster." Shizuru argued, jabbing a finger at her in hostility. "He's a good man. I ought to know, I helped raised him. I won't stand here and permit you to turn him into an el diablo! I won't lose him to you! I won't let him die! I won't! Not if I can help it! And, by the way, get off of my grill or I'll tear you a new one! I'll tie a real knot in your ass, and then you'll be crying like the bitch that you are!"

The way Shizuru saw it, this witch was nothing more than a sickness no different than cancer. With help, it can be beat.

But then again, that was how she had been trained to think.

And Shizuru could see far more than she would happily admit to. She could see clear into the future, and from what she saw, were indescribable horrors.

The Goddess paused in her steps for a moment, her eyes narrowing in amusement; which seemed like gaping frowns upon her face.

**"And that is precisely why I came to you! I need someone with your particular qualities, someone whom Seth had looked up to and could trust, and who better than the genuine article that I am beholding before me at this very significant point in time? But, honestly, Shizuru… I must concur with you on one minor detail... Do you believe that you really know him, well enough to clarify or prove that he is what you say he is? Your conviction serves you well, but not well enough. Just think about what his interests are."** She pointed out. Her eyes gleaming at the human, infatuating over the fact of having to crush the girl's convictions. **"Your brother is a witch and an alchemist, which together sums him up as being a philosophic sorcerer. A Wizard, like the infamous Merlin. What's more, he's not a Christian or a Buddhist. He's a Satanist, though he strays from time to time with Wicca."**

"So, what you are saying, is that he's a dark witch…that he's interested in dabbling with black magick." Shizuru had digested in words, now standing a reasonable distance away from that monster.

**"I gist you not, nor do I prate."** The Goddess said. **"If you would, please... Take a look around you. Look at me."** She versed powerfully, both her body language and words filled with sincere passion. **"Him and I are one in the same. He is me, and I am him."**

"In that case, I ought to beat you senseless." Shizuru shot back, feeling bitter and much like her old self again.

Not that she would pull a daring move like that, since she did possess much common sense but to. She might possess a mean streak in her, like Yusuke did, but she was more wise than he was.

The Goddess blinked at her for a moment, then laughed maniacally.

Shizuru had cringed almost immediately. That lady possessed a guffaw that sounded too much like Kazuma's, only more sinister. But her roars of laughter still retained his characteristics, of coming off as being wild and eccentric; the screeching tone was no different than nails on a chalkboard.

But unlike Kazuma, this woman found hilarity in hearing her threats.

That, in itself, was unsettling.

But this was getting on Shizuru's last nerve. She was quickly becoming agitated with her, just as she would get annoyed with her own brother. Honestly, there really wasn't that much of a difference between the two. No matter how much she cared for him, he really knew how to get on her bad side. He was like the itch that just wouldn't go away.

The Goddess then suddenly fell silent, only then to point towards something that lurked behind the mortal.

Shizuru immediately turned her head and looked over her shoulder. She almost lost her balance as she whipped herself around, now facing yet another, more intimidating composition of horror, one which had materialized out of nowhere.

Before her, stepping out from the shadows, was a beast. There was no other way to describe it, besides the term "archfiend" or "monster from Hell".

**...TBC...**

* * *

**Author's Commentary:**

There's more to Chapter 10. It is not finished, not yet. There are one or two parts left to go.

Sorry, if my story is crummy. My brain is not functioning quite properly. My creativity has be rather stunted.

I like to thank those who have reviewed the last Chapter. And yes, Saya, I knew that one already. Seth also has another meaning, besides "anointed" or "chosen one". It's also the name of The God of Evil, particularly of the one in Egyptian mythology.

Well, let me know what you think, anyway.

Thank you for reading. Please review or leave a comment.


	57. Ch10 p6

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This chapter is dark. Very dark. Could be loads darker, too.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**OLD FRIEND**

**Part Six**

**[The Darkness: **

**Is Something More Sinister Than Popcorn]**

_"I want to see his full power, even if I have to squeeze it up out of him like the last dubbin' glob of toothpaste in a tube! Heh heh ha ha ha ha ha ha!" - Gourmet _

_"You fail to see your destiny, Kuwabara. You're going to help us put our cursed race to and end." - Sensui_

_**"Then you don't understand who I am. I'll never help you."**_

_"But you're meant to, don't you see? That's why you've been given these powers. The Universe wants human atonement just as badly as I." -Sensui_

**oOo**

_"Holy fuck."_ Shizuru mouthed as she gawked at the sight of him, her eyes nearly bulging out of her head.

In one hand, he was clutching onto a nerve-racking, grotesquely grody sickle...

In length, from the base to the pinnacle, the weapon was a great deal taller than he was, especially in that upright, vertical position that he was holding in. The black shaft appeared to be of that of bone, with meat and nerve between the rivets.

...But don't let appearances fool you, for the scythe is a lot sturdier than its fragile appearance; for nothing is ever what it seems in the naked eye...

One blade was half his size, while the other blade was profoundly larger and longer, gargantuan in size as it arched two feet upon his head. But like the shaft, these incredibly sharp blades were completely black; rather than being a bronze, gold, or silver.

His scent reeked of that of blood, sweat, smoke and decay.

He had the type of physique much like her brother once dreamed to own; he was ripped with hard, toned muscle and he was shirtless. His massive arms and killer pictorials alone looked as though they could kill a man. He even had on the same black leather pants. And his pale, alabaster skin was riddled with black veins popping up beneath the surface.

However, his face was secluded in shadow.

His shoulders, forearms, and legs were dressed with archaic sections of armor. The other regions on his body, such as his torso and most of his thighs, were either exposed or lacked proper protection.

It wasn't your usual work of armor, however, since the shoulders and arms were covered in layers, or plates, of metal stacked on top of one another at certain degree or angle; like the scales on a fish. The gear upon his shoulders were not jointed upon the chest of his anatomy, instead, they were attached or connected by straps that were located upon his inner arms. The armor he wore upon his shins and knees were not that much different in comparison. Moreover, each piece of metal was rimmed with nasty barbs.

Upon his knuckles, extended long, claw-like blades. Though they were somewhat of an accessory, they were part of himself as his sword was, rather than solely being attached or included with detachable pieces.

His black fingernails were, frighteningly, nine inches long and were sharp and pointy. He didn't have any sort of foot protection, his feet were bare, revealing the sharp and beastly toenails that were half as long as his fingernails. From the top corners of his forehead, were large horns; similar to the design of bull horns crossed over with the twisting characteristics found in the horns of a goat. These monstrous structures curled backwards and outward, before obtruding forward into dagger-sharp, pointed tips.

He seemed more animal than man.

And just like the goddess, he wore the same shackles and chains in the exact, same fashion.

He also possessed a tail that was much like her own, only more lethal, for lining down the vertebrae were razor-like barbs. And at the end of his tail was an even larger stinger with a more prominent point, much like a serpent's tooth; which , by the way, contained a lethal dose of malignancy, of poisons that was deadlier than neurotoxin.

Now, his horns had penetrated through an ominous black hood. He was not wearing a cape or a jacket; far from it, to be exact. Instead, it was analogous to an executioner's facial covering, only the facial region was cut out.

He had long, curly ginger hair, which dangled out from the front and at the base of the hood. His ears, however, were hidden under the cloth. But that didn't mean that he couldn't hear well.

Upon taking a closer inspection, to see what lied behind the cast of shadow…

It was nearly impossible to see his countenance to begin with, but upon further observation, his face was essentially well hidden nonetheless…behind an atrocious cage of metal.

From what Shizuru could decipher, it served as a mask.

Its expression was clown-like; like a fiendish harlequin consumed by both rage and madness…

Its skeleton-like nose was wrinkled in a perpetual snarl, with two wide slits that formed into a shape of an arrow pointing upwards. The eyes, though slanted, were shaped like the sockets of a skull. The brow was knitted, frozen in the appearance of deviousness. The slits, or breathing holes, at the corner of the lips or on the sides of the face were similar to the appearance of ghastly stitches; similar to if someone had sliced open the cheeks with a knife, and then had sewn them back together horribly with thick wire.

The gums or lips of the mask were painted over with black. Centered over the eyes, marking from above the brow and down to the center of the cheeks, was more black paint. Even the eye-holes were rimmed with black. The black clashed against the silver.

Underneath the hood, the mask stretched all the way back and around the horns, to the back of his head, serving as a skull-like helmet or encasing.

The mouth had thick blades in the form of teeth, the jaw was designed to be flexible; though it was a separate piece, it was affixed to the rest of the mask.

In the right light, peering through the cracks and slits, one can see his actual mouth; he was all teeth with no lip or skin to conceal them, and they were jagged teeth at that. He had no eyelids, either. And the skin on his face, however, was utterly dark; appearing as black as the Ace of Spades.

After she had finished with getting an eyeful of him, Shizuru came to the conclusion that Death was down right "ugly". "Wretchedly hideous and twisted" would be the precise terms of describing him.

But who said Death had to enter a beauty contest? Surely, this hapless creature was more likely to frighten away animals and children than to be selected as "The Next Top Hot Model".

She could certainly see, without fail, as to why called Death was called "The Grim Reaper", and the title doesn't merely imply upon his occupation.

**_/You could have been all I wanted,_**  
**_But you weren't honest,_**  
**_Now get in the ground,/_**

**"He, too, is a representation of me."** The Goddess informed. **"A part of myself. He holds power over the souls of my weapons. For an example: chains, swords, my scythe, and my other cutting utensils, like daggers and claws... Ranging from anything that can cut something or hold something in its place. Although, with just the strength of his hands, he can rip the skin right off of someone, as though it is nothing more than a leather suit. His favorite method of torture is better known today as 'The Blood Eagle'; where he takes the ribs of his victims and pops them open, severing them from the spine one by one. A useful technique that I had acquired from my Father, I must admit. Oh, and another thing, anything that has been severed with the scythe…cannot be restored, nor the wounds repaired...ever."**

_**/You choked off the surest of favors,**_  
_**But if you really loved me,**_  
_**You would have endured my world.../**_

The human nearly paled with hearing those details. Now feeling incredibly anxious towards him, she heaved a breath before breathing in shallow.

**_/Well if you're just as I presumed,_**  
**_A whore in sheep's clothing,_**  
**_Fucking up all I do.../_**

**"Relax, child. You are in no danger."** The Goddess enlightened. **"His only motive is to take down those who possess wicked hearts, the guilty, such as demons for instance, and…eliminate them. So, in truth, he is a protector, not merely a purveyor of Justice. Be it, fight fire with fire. But rest assured, that he can read into the souls of beings, knowing precisely what they have done and whether or not they are innocent. Withal, human atonement is eminently inevitable."**

_**/And if so, here we stop,**_  
_**Then never, again will you see**_  
_**This in your life.../**_

"I feel bad for the demons, then." Shizuru coughed. She then decided to addressed him; "Hi. Nice rack, by the way… The horns, I mean. But I bet you get that a lot, so coming from me, that must mean nothing to you."

Hot breath spewed from his lungs as he gave a loud, rumbling, inhuman growl. Fire glowed in his abysmal eyes, which had reflected upon the mask, making him appear all the more unapproachable.

**_/Hang on to the glory at my right hand,_**  
**_Here lay to rest is a love ever longed,_**  
**_With truth on the shores of compassion,_**  
**_You seem to take premise to all of these songs.../_**

Shizuru had the better mind to move away from him, and as quick as humanly possible.

And just in the nick of time, too…

For suddenly, flames had ignited, blasting from beneath his visor, and encompassing his entire head in a ghostly fire. Even his ginger locks had transformed, becoming one with the flames.

The ground beneath his feet hissed, for it had also began to burn. It served as sign that the base of his feet were inconsiderably hot. Even the palms of his hands had set his scythe ablaze.

…Judging by the feeling in her gut, she had known something was going to happen. Good thing she had listened to her intuition…

His clown-like appearance had, likewise, dissipated in a flash. And just like that, he was more "death" than he had ever appeared before.

…_"Don't fear The Reaper"_, her ass…

_**/You stormed off to scar the armada,**_  
_**Like Jesus played letter,**_  
_**I'll drill through your hands,**_  
_**The stone for the curse you have blamed me.../**_

Shizuru gagged upon receiving the pungent fumes. "You fucking show off!" She squawked. "Goddamn you, you are my fucking annoying brother! Only he would be that much of a damn ham!"

While continuing to throw curses, she waved her hand around until the charred remains and smoke had eventually cleared the air.

_**/With love and devotion I'll die as you sleep/**_

The flesh on the bones had just been literally burnt off, but only in the region that had once been his face. She could smell it, and roasting human meat had never once smelt appetizing. As for his neck, she couldn't say, for it was concealed by the cloth of his hood.

"Not the talkative type, is he?" Shizuru remarked a moment later, whilst holding her nose shut.

_**/But if you could just write me out,**_  
_**To never-less wonder...**_  
_**Happy will I become/**_

**"No,"** The Goddess had answered with a chuckle. **"Mortimer never was. Beside from roaring, growling, and giving into demonic fits of laughter, he's always been pretty much the silent type. And being that he is also my Wrath, he's a lot more powerful than the others…the rest who are also a part of me."**

"Oh, joy." Shizuru quipped as she turned herself back around to face her. She then released her nose. "When do I get to meet them, too?"

_**/Be true, that this is no option**_  
_**So, with sin, I condemn you/**_

To answer her question, the Goddess pointed skyward. Neither of them cared whether or not if the human had actually wanted to see them, for there they were.

_**/Demon pray, Demon Out/**_

Upon looking upward, she had realized that there were six more of these terrifying doppelgangers, all to which had appeared to her as dark and menacing figures as they stood upon the tops of the lofty arches…grinning down at her in the most depraved manner. And around their silhouettes, shined an ominous light; their auras were precisely alike and were no different than the Goddess's.

_**/Hang on to the glory at my right hand,**_  
_**Here lay to rest is a love ever longed,**_  
_**With truth on the shores of compassion,**_  
_**You seem to take premise to all of these songs.../**_

One saluted or waved at her, in a fashion that reminded her of her brother. That one had been none other than Wulfric, The Hunter slash Assassin who was better known as Gluttony; the beast with the appetite for destruction…

…Despite his physique, he'd eat you alive…swallowing every piece of you whole…

Shizuru turned her attention back to the Goddess, who then grinned evilly at her; the flesh around her mouth burning away, emerging like some lipless corpse.

At the sight, Shizuru's face contorted in revulsion.

"Oh yeah, you should get that checked out." She addressed, all the while gesturing to her own facial region. "And the maggots hanging from your nostrils…are not a good look for you. Euck!"

_**/One last kiss for you,**_  
_**One more wish to you,**_  
_**Please make up your mind, girl,**_  
_**I'd do anything for you/**_

With a wave of her hand, over the lower half of her face, the Goddess had returned her visage back into what it had once been.

**"You're brother isn't all that innocent. For years he has sought after foes and has even committed reprisals at his own request; let alone owns the gall to be quite The Santa Sardonicus, himself. You know this, so why continue on furthering feeding your denial?"** The Goddess said, knowing that her point had, at last, been made clear. **"And if you are still not fully convinced, think back to the days before he had moved away. Was he not inebriated half of the time? You've been having certain friends to calm your nerves, yes. But your brother had a different friend he could count on."**

**_/One last kiss for you,_**  
**_One more wish to you,_**  
**_Please make up your mind, girl,_**  
**_Before I hope you die.../_**

Shizuru popped her jaw when thinking back; now hooked, lined, and sinkered.

This She-Devil had a case in point.

She had her cigarettes, just as Yusuke had his. They were her little "stress relievers", the "certain friends" that had been mentioned.

But as this monster had said, her brother had abused another type of substance…

After he had finished high school, things went downhill for him. He had drank before, plenty of times, but at that time he was virtually swimming in alcohol. She had never seen him so boozed up in her life, he was practically wasted during the entire last month he lived with his family.

He took the death of his posse and Yukina's betrayal HARD. But the ultimate betrayal had been that his "team" had thrown him under the bus, replacing him with Jin.

That had been the salt in the wounds for him. Along with the dirty and degrading looks he had received from the other demons.

Apparently he had not been good enough, no longer qualified to persist on being a member. He was also the only "human" left, so they naturally wanted him gone.

All that, counting his past and the influences, were the reasons behind his detrimental habits and self-abuse.

...He had been consumed by deep depression...

At the time, Shizuru believed that the best thing to do was to let him go and set him free. He needed time to be on his own, to get away from things, and to let everything fall away from him.

She wanted to spare him from further humiliation, by deciding not to put him in rehab. She figured that it would have done more harm than good IF she had. That's all she needed to do, cause him more psychological and emotional scarring.

He must have decided to "get clean" the moment he had met Sun Wukong. Sometimes looking in the mirror can cause someone to "wake up", then again… To be part of the police force, one had to come clean.

Or maybe, he had reduced his level of alcohol consumption. That deduction seemed to ring the bell. He was now a casual drinker rather than an alcoholic.

However, he could sink right back into that lifestyle at any moment...

All it took was for something to make the habit click, to trigger it back on.

No matter how much he may deny it, he enjoyed booze. Just as much as he enjoyed Heavy Metal and those imported "Atomic Fireballs" and "Red Hots" candies.

And if she knew anything about vampires, besides blood, the only thing that they can consume is liquor. Wine and beer are not included on the list, however, and drinking either of the two would upset their stomachs.

Yes, she knew that her brother was an awakening vampire, not a demon. Again, she was psychic, and a very powerful one at that.

And her brother was "The Devil", the infamous and long awaited "Antichrist", "The Angel of Death" and "The Beast of The Apocalypse"… And come to think of it, those demons were going to regret for having ever treated him so poorly. He might have started out as being "human", but he wasn't going to be one for much longer.

And if her uncle had been right, nothing strikes more terror in a demon than having to face a Devil. They won't even touch them with a ten foot pole, for they feared invoking their wrath.

Kazuma's fiery, golden spirit energy had served as one of the significant signs, all along; that he had possessed divine energy since the very beginning. His own soul had foretold that he was a "god".

…Notwithstanding, a person may learn to harness divine energy, to acquire it, but that doesn't mean that they are of divine origins…

However, his teammates had failed to take notice.

[_A human soul has a BLUE signature, while demons have a either a dark red, a dark violate or indigo, a dark brown, or a dark green. And most angels have a WHITE or Silver spirit signature; to see one with a "gold" spirit means that she or he is a deity._

_A passionate red, magenta, white, silver, grey, black, and other colors of the rainbow were merely reflections of a person's emotions, wellbeing, and power ; in other words, an aura. An aura is entirely different than a soul's spirit signature, because the aura is part of the soul. And the soul is the outer casing of the spirit._]

In a nutshell, her brother was NO saint, though her family had tried their best to raise him as one. For crying out loud, he was the leader of his own gang and had lived most of his life in "the school of hard knocks".

He was one of the many people who wander the streets so aimlessly. To look alive, but be dead inside. Where the heart has holes and black blood flows. And to live in a world that never seemed so cold before their time.

He lived in a world of continuous black and white, always in touch with how brutal reality truly is. Nothing was ever easy, but his choice of poison had numbed the pain down to a certain scale.

She just hoped, on a wing and on a prayer, that he would turn out for him… For the best.

But as the years have passed, as the universe has been proving, that his life was a recipe for total disaster!

…Even now, the terror that he was, was rising to the surface…

And the past doesn't go away, it never does! You can beg and plead on wounded, bleeding knees and it will still refuse to settle a bargain. You might try to run away, but history will never stray.

The asylum, the childhood abuse, the nightmares, the hauntings, the attacks, the street brawls, the countless enemies, the betrayals, the abductions, the sexual assaults, and the fact that he had lost both his mother and his gang to the heartless murderers…

None of that was going to go away, EVER. If anything, it was dragging him back, with him kicking and screaming… Back to the world where everyone treated him as though he was nothing more than "a joke" to be laughed at.

To live the life of a "useless, unforgiving clown" was no snow day, nor a pleasant picnic at a park. There are never any breaks, and neither were there any perks. You just have to suck up your own misery, grin and bare it as you eat your shit sandwich, and make everyone feel better about themselves. And remember, your misery makes everyone happy, which is the only reward and gratitude you'll ever receive as long as you breathe. No one laughs more at anything else than seeing other people's pain and anguish.

That was his occupation, to be the miserable, rejected fool that keeps every bastard he knew satisfied and feeling lucky; the glue that holds everything together.

One must come to terms and face reality, that we all live in a very corrupt and ugly world.

And Kazuma had been one of the innumerable victims of it. The love and the hate was burning him away, so he took the course that he believed he needed to take.

There was no other way to go, no light at the end of the dark tunnel for him. He was falling, has been falling, and he was going to land HARD.

...And it didn't make it any better that he was obsessed with gore, especially when watching horror films; which so happened to be his all time favorite movie genre...

[_Yusuke and Kurama didn't really care for the stuff, didn't really have the stomach for it. Unlike Hiei, who had found massacre scenes to be a tad bit interesting. Kurama preferred romance and mystery, while Yusuke solely enjoyed comedy and action flicks._]

But he was a grown man now, meaning that he could take care of himself and make his own choices in life. And honestly, she couldn't blame him for not wanting to come back, to return to what once was. For him, that life was for the birds.

She had no choice but to respect that, to respect him and his decisions.

He was too far gone and out of reach for most, but she had been given a chance to redeem herself in his eyes.

And she had never lost faith him.

If anyone understood him, she did.

But what choice did she have, other than to assist him in awakening his dark side?

None, really.

She knew that she was "going to be sorry in the end" if she didn't. And, in all due respect to her own capabilities, she was practically powerless to prevent it.

And though it went against her code and sworn oath, she would choose her brother over the entire world. She would even break away from her clan, and away from her assigned duties...in order to protect him.

The Goddess cackled. Humans, though as obstinate as they were, were easy to convince.

**...TBC...**

* * *

**Author's Commentary:**

One more part left to go after this one. The song is "Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria.

Saya, I am glad to know that you had noticed that, for that was my intention. Kuwabara is profoundly underestimated. And thank you, KM17, for reviewing like always! And you are right, he IS different (what people fail to see these days, is that people CHANGE and that NOTHING stays the same).

Dantemew, I am utterly grateful for your review and that you have enjoyed the story! And yes, I know all about that. *grins* It has all been my intentions. I am terrible, I am sure, in the eyes of many. But dismantling beliefs is something that I happen to quite enjoy. People always seem tend in scratching at the surface, rather than diving in real deep.

Another crummy chapter finished. I hoped you had all enjoyed reading it. I tried to describe his mask the best way that I could. Sorry.

Please review.


	58. Ch10 p7

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note: **This chapter is dark. Very dark. Could be loads darker, too.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**OLD FRIEND**

**Part Seven**

**[RATS]**

The Goddess then stretched out her arms magniloquently, keying in the threshold of blackness, displaying her power. Darkness began to sweep in from under her feet, extending vividly outward in the form of cephalopod-like appendages.

In the matter of moments, everything that Shizuru had seen, with her own two eyes, had been swallowed away. All of it, including the colors, had been removed; like a spill of black ink on top of a painting.

Shizuru was rattled. She was now completely surrounded by rustling vapors, alarming black clouds that caused her to bethink significantly of the smoke seen from a ruthless fire.

From within the smoke appeared innumerable horrified faces, as if their pain or torment was without cease, and yet, they were more appalling in appearance.

There was no sky, no ground, nothing. She was literally hovering in this encircling darkness, which became all the more ominous as it grew blacker than a pitch.

Trembling, she now understood man's fear of the dark, unlike she had ever before. By far, there was nothing more unsettling than to feel alone, abandoned, or hopeless once ensnared into a world without light.

But this was the world where Devils lived in, a world in which all other beings were terrified to be. But this was their life. Doomed to perpetually wander; like the celestial bodies seen in the midnight sky.

But unlike any other, stars had only the darkness to comfort them. After they had fallen, darkness was all that they had left. Stars could walk in the day, certainly, but they were predominately nocturnal in nature.

They ruled the night, and wherever there was darkness and shadow. Stars are beautiful to look at from afar, but they were by far the most deadliest in all existence... And they lived in a world where no man could, nor any demon for that matter.

In the ancient world, at night mankind had often looked up to the stars for both guidance and comfort. They had sacrificed to the stars, above all to the sun, offering blood so that their valued light sources would continue to thrive. The blood, they believed, sustained the stars.

And it did, unknown to the ignorant.

The Mayans had been right from the very beginning.

But as time passed on, and as the world changed, they viewed the stars in a much different light. Other than the scientific approach, the religious defined these beings by the term "vampire". Besides becoming a marvel, for scientists and astronomers and alike, they were reviled by many.

These "vampires" were widely considered to be "the eternally damned", the lost, and there was no hope or salvation set aside for them. This also included their children, even the Halflings.

Someone had once said: _"What is lost can never be saved."_

Out of the blue, an enormous set of fiery eyes appeared before Shizuru, along with a flowing main of hair that bore the resemblance to a lion, and two rows of incredibly sharp teeth for its mouth. The top fangs were much longer than the ones seen on the bottom. There were no whites to be seen in the socket shaped eyes, only darkness and the flaming pupils that burned within them. And there was no distinctive nose, only holes that served as nostrils.

The face had formed out of the darkness, mushrooming out through the abysmal vapors. Surrounding this disembodied head, was an dazzling bright light. And with this light, she could see the disarray of ghoulish figures once again.

And from out of this beast, came the voice of The Goddess…

**"We're in a war where Devils verses Demons, where Lycans are pitted against Vampires, and where Man combats against the Monsters that he fears."** Spoke the Beast. **"The only difference between a Werewolf and a Demon is that one was once human, bearing a curse that has been transmitting down through centuries. They both require meat for sustenance... Well, correction, most demons do these days, for Hanyous have it differently...**** Where for werewolves, there is no exception or partisan when it comes to their nature...**** And most generally detest Devils…**

**"But there is more, there are other creatures that seek to destroy my kind."** She continued. **"Homunculi, beings that of neither Man, Devil, or Demon, beings which had been forged into existence by the use of alchemy… These Monsters had been created by traitors to their own cause, both freak vampires and werewolves, for the soul purpose of serving in Reikai's ranks. The demon gods that wish to remain in control, save for Sun Wukong and The Demon God of Mayhem, will try at anything to triumph in this war."**

"Could you further elucidate?" Shizuru inquired. "I fail to understand how they are doing all of this. How are freak vampires, werewolves, and demons working together? I need details!"

**"With the use of human assistance…"** entailed The Goddess. **"The Black Black Club."**

"What?" Shizuru cried out in disbelief. "I thought they were destroyed, that every last single one of them had been removed!"

**"The Black Black Club is a world wide underground organization, one which has been going on for over a millennia."** Answered The Goddess. **"While The Masons serve my father, those of The Black Black Club work for King Yama. And being that they have been serving King Yama's ploys, Spirit World has kept most of their operations under the blanket; they expect that not many possess enough intel to discover and unmask their conspiracies. Their vocation not only incorporates bartering unfortunate demons for the use of slavery, but also hatching insidious plots and human mutation."**

Shizuru stared in absolute silence, stunned by this new information. This predicament was becoming more complex, more heavy than she had previously estimated.

The Goddess continued; **"It is true, that they perform experimentations upon volunteers or, say you, paying customers. But most often than not, they involve individuals that they had shanghaied from society; in other words, unsuspecting people who have no say in becoming their victims. Having said that, that is one profound reason as to why Sensui had turned away from his servitude as Spirit Detective. He now knows what most people do not. It was not solely because of Chapter Black, though it did suit its purpose."**

Shizuru nodded. Hearing that made more sense as to why he had forfeit, rather than simply exhuming "the grapes of wrath" upon people.

If she was in his boots, she would have walked out on them as well.

**"Furthermore,"** The Goddess conveyed, now unfolding a truth that had been buried away for years. **"These were the people who are responsible…for murdering my mother. Seth's mother."**

With eyes widening in horror, Shizuru could not believe her ears. If what the Goddess had said was undoubtedly true, then Spirit World was to blame for her brother's pain.

If they had not ordered for his mother's death, then she would still be alive… He wouldn't have ended up living with them. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't even be in Japan.

But notwithstanding…

What had to be the most disconcerting factor in all her days, was the concrete fact that her aunt had served Spirit World for a season, namely in her early life. She had assisted the very first Spirit Detective ever to be known in history, fighting alongside her, in hopes of keeping all of humanity safe from harm.

And this was how they repaid her? By destroying her, let alone cast her son through the most heartrending trauma in his life?

Forget the complication, this was personal!

Those dastardly bastards had murdered, no slaughtered, one of their own. In addition, a member of her clan.

And being that Okimi had been the most valued member of their clan, her every decision and action that had been made were of no secret to them; even though everything was kept confidential.

All that her clan ever did was to seek humanity's own protection. They had sacrificed a "normal" life just so that everyone else can continue to do so.

Shizuru gnashed her teeth together, grinding them hard and fierce, for her anger was beginning to turn into rage.

But The Goddess wasn't finished, not just yet.

**"And the demons, who had sought after Seth almost six years ago,"** She, likewise, had brought up. **"Had enlisted into The Black Black Club almost three years prior to that. They had taken the lives of Kirishima, Okubo, and Sawamura, using them as a display of both human and demon cruelty… To warn him that he would later be next. Of course, Seth had failed to receive the message."**

Oh, Kazuma was going to be PISSED when he finds that out. "Enraged" would be the word.

In fact, Kazuma was going to throttle them all with his own bare hands, that is, before he actually succeeds in KILLING them!

Those boys were like his family to him, his brothers.

Hell will have no fury quite like his.

They had taken away his mother and then his gang.

Something was incredibly fishy about all of this. Why would Spirit World attack the ones that he had cherished the most, unless they had known something all along?

Could they have known that Kuwabara was "The One", the person that they had been looking for?

If so, it was only in a matter of time, when all hell will break loose.

And poor Kazuma, despite all of his rage, he is still like a rat in a cage.

**"Now, I must ask of you to hurry."** Said The Goddess, answering both her fears and suspicions. **"For King Yama does know who Seth is. I can feel it in the very pit of me. He had taken some of Seth's blood. All they need is for a vampire, freak or otherwise, to sample it. Just a drop, a taste, contains all the information that they need."**

Shizuru raised an eyebrow at her, confounded as to how blood can be used in such a way.

**"The DNA holds every drop of information concerning a person, even memories that had once been forgotten or information that lies hidden. The soul is in the blood, and though Devils do not possess a soul, Seth currently retains his human soul…which is also tied in with his essence." **

"Oh, shit." was all Shizuru could say.

What she had been told, had certainly spelled out "bad news".

**"King Yama has been planning this for eons. He is not simply going to hand over that which he has fought long and hard for. You can bet your life on the fact that he'd rather start a two hundred year war, and in the midst of the grandiloquence brought by the stage of violence, destroy everything to keep from defeat. As any worthy villain that subsists in a story, he has had a comeback...**

** "But the situation is growing, worsening as time ticks on by. The circumstances are, a great deal, dire."** The Goddess said. **"Some of the humans are also looking for him, for your government's intentions were once merely to have him deported, but now they wish to apprehend him... They believe he is responsible for murdering half the city's populace. He won't last a moment in prison, not when his second seal has broken… And the third is already on the way. He'll destroy the other inmates there."**

Feeling suddenly discouraged, Shizuru began to panic. She fretted in the darkness, wanting to immediately do something to resolve the latter dilemma, even though it was obvious that it was out of her own power to leave.

Scurrying away was out of the question, for there was no ground to firmly place her feet upon. And being human, she certainly couldn't fly away.

Those people were already dead to begin with, before her brother had yielded his sword to cut them down. But her people always tend to fly off the handle whenever someone kills something that moves.

And as to how they would know that her brother was a potential threat...

Security cameras.

It doesn't matter how old or dilapidated a city is, as long as they have technology, they can achieve the goal of surveying every area.

And that city would have installed many cameras, being that it is widely known for being "the crime capital" of Japan. The crime rate is so incredibly high, that their city has been purposely left off of the tourist maps.

**"Sensui had given your brother a month to train,"** The Goddess had further incited, impelling upon the incident that had taken place four days ago. **"Though he is tactful, he lacks the perceptive ability to see the future. If he had known, he would have figured a way to get your brother to safety. As for Lucifer, my Lord, he'll destroy anyone who threatens to lay a finger upon him. Nothing can keep him from that. Blood will be shed." **

"Shit! It canNOT possibly get any worse than this!"

But The Goddess was about to defeat the human's statement.** "Accompanying this trouble, The Special Defense Force also seeks to have Seth removed, permanently, but only to quell their own desires and not Spirit World's… For they have revenge on their minds."**

"Oh, gods!" Shizuru cried as she threw her hands up into the air, knowing all too well about how these super humans had genuinely felt towards her brother.

Howbeit, she was at a loss as to what she should precisely do; other than to grab a hold of him, and then run like hell.

She was drawing at straws here. Her mind, though as restless as it was, was at a complete blank when trying to formulate a plan or strategy.

**"Now, I must inform you this… Koenma had foolishly granted The Hunters more power, considering the fact that they are no longer under his authority ever since his 'daddy' stepped back into power. But that is only a piece of the issue, there's much more. They will be the first to be dealt with. They'll be arriving at Sun's doorstep tonight. They are still in the dark as to who Seth is, however, just as they are oblivious to the fact that they are a little away from being replaced. But still, the stakes are continuously mounting…" **

"What is with all these people?" Shizuru yelled in frustration. "Can't they just leave my stupid brother alone?"

**"Alas, the process of the world turning its back upon him has already begun. They will revile him and seek to destroy him off the face of the earth. And amidst the human species, The Christian Church will be amongst his greatest enemies, amongst the numbers who will be a thorn in his side." **

Shizuru crossed her arms beneath her breasts, scowling as she tapped her fingers; she was running out of patience. "Anything else that you wish to get off your mind?" She snapped, her left eyebrow twitching in ire.

The Devil did want her to "hurry", after all. And sitting here, doing nothing but idle chat, wasn't going to get them anywhere.

**"If you need assistance, your father will know what to do."**

Shizuru's face brightened.

Her father? Why on earth had she not thought of that one before?

Her father might have not been as "Presidential" as some men, but he was still widely considered to be important. In fact, he possessed more connections than most other people in general. And though he was retired, choosing the sedentary life, he still had the power or influence to get a hold of these contacts...

He was an agent, but not just any ordinary agent...

Succinctly, he was an operative that had worked in foreign intelligence, The SIS; A.K.A. The International Secrete Intelligence Service. He served in a top secret branch that was completely unspecified or known to the general public, one that even the highest officials were ignorant of. This squadron possessed more power, influence, and authority than the official governments in the world. And their purpose is to supply total security.

They were also trained mercenaries and spies, required duties which came along with the job.

If anyone could get anyone out of a bind or a tight spot, it would be THEM.

To make matters short: If fate or Spirit World was going to conspire against Kazuma, Kazuma was going to have friends in "high places".

They, Spirit world, was going to learn the hard way to never fuck with those who possess human ingenuity. Humans are profoundly more clever than any other race gives them credit for, especially those idiotic demons. Whatever power humans lack, they make up for it.

As for Keiko, she would have to get her to safety. Coming with her was out of the question, especially with her now being with child.

[_The poor girl, she was aching unfavorably from emotional neglect, immensely. Yusuke had promised that he would never hurt her or bring her any pain, but he ended up doing it anyway; unforgivably breaking his word._

_But Keiko was not destined to be a part of his world. Not now, not before, not ever.  
_

_Back when the last demon tournament had been held..._

_One demon had said: "To have sex with a human, is practically playing with one's food. But to have sex with a devil, why that's sleeping with the enemy." _

_And unfortunately for Keiko, that bastard had the nerve to announce such sickening crap in her presence. _

_Another had went as far as to say: "Well, at least she isn't one of those detestable creatures. Either way, she's practically a play thing. Look at her, she's weak. She's unworthy to be the mate of a demon, especially to that of a demon lord."_

_They hadn't considered her feelings, nor did they care to. She was human, and in their eyes, she was a beneath them. In all honesty, they wanted to hurt her, even if the attempt was merely to crush her spirit; which it had successfully accomplished. _

_And her fiance, at that point in time, had failed to console her or ease her grief. He even had the gall to say that they were "joking", that his friends, fans, or servants...whatever they were...were simply toying around with her. That what they had said was "no big deal", because she ought to know better than to believe that what they had said was true._

_Had he forgotten that his ancestor had once loved a human, too?  
_

_From there on, Keiko had never liked 'the company' that her husband would choose to hang around with._

_Chuu and Jin were pretty nice, of course, as well as the little guy and the rest of their group; with ShishiWakamaru sometimes being an exception... _

_...Even Juri and Koto...  
_

_But all of the others... They showed no respect towards humans, in fact, it was the complete opposite._

_(As for Enki, something about him just didn't seem right. Shizuru would rather place her life in Yomi's hands than his, that's how strongly she felt about him.)  
_

_And in order for the hanyou to marry her, he had to make promises... Vows in which he couldn't keep. _

_In order to keep his vows: This meant that he would have to put aside his other life, to no longer fight other demons and live the average, "normal" life with her... To have a stable job and raise children... To have a family and live the ideal dream that most humans have.  
_

_He was never good at keeping them, but going against her better judgment, she still had given him chances. Leave it to him to screw it all up._

_Shizuru had often wondered, questioning their relationship, as well as their sanity... If the reason behind as to why the two were together...was merely for the sake of feeling comfortable._

_Love is a cruel mistress, she'll fool just about everyone whom she meets._ _And people generally have more than one soul mate, but ONE true love._]

Perhaps her father could arrange something for Keiko, too.

She had been staying with her, living in her apartment. And Shizuru, being a good hostess, had surrendered her own bed to the distressed girl.

The girl had been too afraid to go back home, for fear of having to deal with Yusuke. And being that she was also fearful of her parents' opinions, she had nowhere else to go.

Keiko desperately needed to be spared from receiving more drama and tension, especially for the baby's sake. It's not good on a woman's body and psyche to have to lose, not one, but two children. Doing so will cause long term, detrimental effects.

**"When you wake up, you will have about an hour before the sun sets. And it will take you about seven hours to return to The Shrine, IF you travel by road."**

**...TBC...**

* * *

**Author's Comments:**

I was going to add more, but I decided to stop it right there. If anything else should happen, I might add it as a flashback.

Thanks, KM17, for reviewing. As for your question, the story will answer for itself. So, yes, he is "beast and man".

Sorry for the horrible chapter. It's awful, I know.

But please, review or leave a comment. Feedback is greatly appreciated.


	59. Book III: ALUCARD: Prologue

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** This chapter's purpose is self explanatory. It is to help the readers understand where the story is currently, as in what is happening at this point in time.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**Prologue to Book Three:**

**"THE BIRTH OF ALUCARD"**

**[THE WHISPERS OF WAR]**

**_"Do you think you'll go unrewarded? In return for your services, I'll grant you any wish you desire." _**

_"I only wish for him to find happiness. To find love, finally._"

**_"For this, my father will unlock your hidden potential. You will be as a fearless demon, your longevity will lengthen as well. You'll still bare the possibility of dying, though old age threatens you not. But where's the fun in things, if everything is made too easy?" _**

_"What?_"

**_"It has already been done, according to my father's will... _**

**_"Know this, too, that your cousin is an illusion. He is no different than a shadow and what you have known him to be is not true. It's time to bring the lies to an end, for this dream must die..."_**

**..._  
_**

_"Shizuru, are you alright?_ _You look like you had just been through a frightful nightmare."_

_"Keiko… I'm worried about Kazuma. I don't think I can wait much longer..."_

_"So, I take it that you're going back…right?"_

_"Keiko, my brother is in grave danger... People are trying to kill him."_

**oOo  
**

_"An essential characteristic of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero, and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When he wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic that Superman stands alone. Superman did not become Superman, Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red 'S', that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears, the glasses, the business suit, that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak, he's unsure of himself... He's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race."_

-Bill; from "Kill Bill Vol. II"

**…**

There was never a "Kuwabara Kazuma", and likewise, neither had there ever been a "Seth Omen'Haiden Erickson"; there had never been such people, for they had never even existed. Instead, these were just names that were given, aliases to suit an alter ego…

For the sole purpose of covering up what lies behind those masks… Which hide the face of the most wanted individual in all of the worlds.

Hiei had always been one step ahead of the game, especially when the rival players happen to involve the likes of both the fox and the hanyou. The apparition had given his heart, and with that treasure, he had also included the pearls that had once been his tears.

Botan had also given into ululation, for the imputing truth was far too harrowing. Nevertheless, she could no longer dispute against what was fact, for veridicality was the open door to the stygian room that she had been inveigled by.

Kurama and Yukina are on their way to The Tourin Palace; which is precisely where Yusuke is anticipating for their safe return. In about a day and a half, they will have finished their journey.

Meanwhile in Makai, Enki had sent forth his troops to be on a continual look out for anything suspicious; Yomi, on the other hand, had gone into hiding to evade the enemy's eyes . As for Enki's wife, Goki, she has been mindfully studying her husband's behavior; though inebriated most of the time, she could certainly tell that her husband was not himself and that he was not well…

Makai is in an unsettling process of being "cleansed". Their people are being sifted; like mud from gold in a mining operation…

Families are being separated, many are dying, and villages are being burned. The demons who possessed the ogre-like tendencies, otherwise coded as "Yomi's Kind", were being subjugated from other demons; and, in turn, were being placed into consecration camps, which were located far away from their homes and societies...

In these heavily guarded facilities, where the free demons keep a steady watch, these so called "imperfections", these "dogs", were slowly being put to death. In this agonizing process, the hearts of many rejects everywhere were now turning against their once beloved "savior"; their hatred for him boiling in their blood...

Yusuke was not taking their rejection well, in fact, he was enraged by their recent behavior towards him. Already, a small group of "has-been" demons had tried to assassinate him whilst he was training outside on the castle's premises...

They were some of Yomi's lackeys, who sought revenge for their King's honor and solace for their own breed. However, they were immediately dealt with; ushered away and placed into a prison, to sit there and rot for the remainder of their lives...

Both Goki and Mukuro had little choice but to watch in horror, both powerless to do much of anything; they were no match for the men who were in control. Their world was falling apart, chaos was in rule, and their people were suffering from surmounting cruelty...

Yusuke was not in his right mind, just as Enki had lost it. And Enki wanted nothing more than to control their little world...

Diplomacy had failed. Democracy and capitalism had failed; just as the infamous Karl Marx had predicted.

After having been stirred from a deep slumber, Shizuru was now competing against time. In her valiant efforts, she telephoned her father, notifying him discreetly in esoteric terminology; signifying in code that something urgent has emanated and that she needed to see him immediately…

[_Keiko has been moved, by order of "The Charmer", by permission of "Mayhem"; A.K.A. "The Puppet Master". She is now currently staying with Shizuru's mother, Sada, who was also positioned into a safer haven; for the meantime, at least._]

In turn, Akio, her father, has convoked the surviving members of his team. Like the Devils, they are now discussing as to what must be done…

Fortuitously for Kazuma, The Shield had suited up and was in gear, for these trained assassins were on the case. And so were their cohorts…

They have come to discover that the government's system had been infiltrated twice by foreign bodies, which had lead the officials to re-compromise and set their targets dead on Kazuma; someone had gone in and rearranged everything. Now that the cat was out of the bag, The Shield will have to work diligently to cover the psychic's tracks; for the national guard was now involved in the pursuit of his arrest.

But The Devils are not left out of the loop, for they have noticed an acute change in their procedures; of course, with The Count, everything that was transpiring was intentional, meaning hat everything was going accordingly to plan. They know the unfolding danger that lies ahead of their Prince…

For now knowing this, Sensui rushed towards the scene. If he must, he will intervene, but for now he will play the part of a spectator; both regarding and recording The Prince's progress.

Unfortunately, this was only half of the crisis, for The Special Defense Force was closing in on him; and their intentions were to have him terminated. The SDF were coming in "hot", red hot, intending on beating the mortals to the punch; the soldiers, riding in their machine horses, that were on their way to him.

As for Koenma, he is oblivious to all of the dangers that surround him and his new detective. And being that he is currently preoccupied with bulldozing through a deluge of files, delving for sufficient clues, he is completely unaware to the nightmare that is taking place in Human World…

But among other things, serving as the most underlining catastrophe of them all, there is a resident evil that inhabits Spirit World. The source behind all misery and subjugation.

The Tribulation is already on its way, if this has not already marked the beginning.

Sometimes, what we are looking for, is hidden beneath our noses.

**... ... ...**

**_"The truer the hero, the purer the heart... All that is considered 'good' and 'decent' will be used up before you know it; like the fuel in a fire... If a source is too pure, it will not last for long... Hence the question: 'Why must the good always die young?'... Well, to answer that: The brightest flame burns quickest...  
_**

_**"However, there is more than one way to 'die'... I will assure you this...  
**_

**_"He WILL fall..._**

**_"If a person is not the 'hero' in the story, if he survives long enough... He will see himself become the villain... _**

**_"This is not a matter of chance, and neither does anything happen by mere coincidence, this is a fact... One which The Universe has made clear to you... _**

**_"Have you ever heard of that saying, that if man could find God... He'd kill him? That he would watch Him bleed, as His people are lead into the water, left to be eaten alive by sharks?..._**

**_"Do you honestly believe that man would hesitate if he had been given the chance?... Man has a desire to become god, and in order to do that, he must eliminate the opposition...  
_**

**_"The Point is: What he'll survive, will not only make him stronger, but also a lot stranger..._**

**_"But to do that, he'll have to be ahead of the curb...and break all of the rules, every last single one of them...and live a life of total anarchy; for death is an agent of chaos, it listens to no one..._**

**_"He'll have to make up his own rules, if he wishes to win at this game...  
_**

**_"Being once a 'sidekick' has guaranteed that; he has followed too many rules and has been underneath another's shadow for far too long. Truth be told: Sidekicks usually die, that or become something that even the would-be hero happens to fear. Something fierce and terrible, so appalling that every male within his vicinity...will feel and understand perfectly clear...as to what fear truly is..._**

**_"...A long story short, their balls will drop off onto the floor...  
_**

**_"He'll be unrecognizable, consumed by madness..._**

**_"He'll be regarded as a 'madman', a raging lunatic...a renegade...a freak..._**

**_"And yes, a 'monster'...  
_**

_**"You see, society casts a glaring eye whenever an individual goes against some codes of conduct, all the while disregarding that individual's previous endeavors for the city. But it's a society's natural instinct to become defensive due to one's change in behavior...**_

**_"People hate that which they don't understand. They despise what they fear, and this fear is incited whenever something threatens their sense of security and comfort..._**

**_"The world is not kind, it never has been..._**

**_"Your white knight in shining armor... Is going to become The GREATEST Villain of all time, the number one enemy of every existing society. The vigilante that everyone needs...but wants dead..._**

**_"And don't give me that 'he's too good to turn to the dark side' bullshit... Everyone has a dark side, even Superman...  
_**

**_"Now, watch and see how a 'monster' is born."_**

**oOo**

_"Don't turn away_  
_Don't give in to the pain_  
_Don't try to hide_  
_Though they're screaming your name_  
_Don't close your eyes_  
_God knows what lies behind them_  
_Don't turn out the light_  
_Never sleep, never die"_

-Evanescence; "Whisper (version: 2002)"

**…TBC…**

* * *

**Author's Comments: **

Short, I know, but now we are coming to where we are needing to be. I decided to have the first fight in the third book, as well as others.

The Second Book is the middle or the body of the story. If you need any information, consult back to the second book and browse through it.

Of course, as the story progresses, more information will be given.

I hope everything is clear and that you readers can understand what is going on.

And if there is anything that you wish to see or wish for me to include, please tell me.

I would like to thank both KM17 and Saya for reviewing.

I hope you've all enjoyed reading the story so far. Please, drop me a comment or two. It is greatly appreciated.


	60. Book III: The Prelude

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Down below, there are dark themes… And a mentioning about a dream, which will be in italics…

In this chapter, we are going back to the scene before he confronted Yusuke for the last time.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**THE PRELUDE:**

**THE PROPHECY BEGINS**

**[RAIN FOREVER]  
**

_THE TEARS OF OMEN'HAIDEN, _  
_THE "FAITHFUL HEATHEN"_  
_SON OF THE FOREVER RULER, "EVER KINGLY"_

_THE EVIL PRINCE WHO BARES NO NAME_  
_WHO SITS IN WAIT UPON THE GRAVE_  
_WHO'S FEATHERS HAD BEEN PLUCKED_

_ABIDING HIS TIME_  
_BUYING IN TO WHAT IS A LIE_  
_FOR NOW, HE HAS BECOME AS STONE…_

_UNTIL THE FINAL DAY BE KNOWN, _  
_WHEN TRUTH HAS AT LAST BEEN SHOWN_  
_TO WHICH THEN, THE WORLD WILL MOURN_

_FOR DEATH DO ALL MORTALS PART_

[**Time Frame: Five Years Ago**]

One late evening, Kuwabara Kazuma found himself standing before a tomb, alone and in the pouring rain. Since his arrival, his mind had been elsewhere, somewhere, and yet, nowhere.

It had not been forecasted to rain, but nature had once again defied the weatherman. Quaint to some, it goes without saying that it seemed to be only raining in this particular area, in his neighborhood. It must have been an isolated storm…

…Or his rotten luck.

But then again, in the surrounding area, the weather was a miserable drizzle. Not everyone was so stupid to be out in it, for they had half a mind not to.

The driving rain was incredibly torrential and substantial, that it seemed more like a wall or a thin sheet than intervallic drops of water.

The weather laughed in his face, made a mockery of him by the harsh winds blowing against him as the rain penetrated through his leather trench coat.

So quite plainly, the intense weather was pounding against him, bombarding him with harsh interludes of heavy bands with heavier precipitation and wind. Moreover, the downpour was absolutely freezing, and providing with the contrast of the remarkably still hot roads, the ground was steaming and thus created a low haze.

He looked like a drowned sewer rat from where he stood; with his pompadour in complete ruin, the gel washed out and his hair sticking to his face.

But he was unmoved, as solid as the statues that stood within the cemetery.

For him, there was no time, for everything had become frozen. He was numb from head to toe, his emotions were the only thing he could feel…

Pain, woe, and bitterness were turning into emptiness... For this moment...

Oh, how he longed to be like his friends…

…Kirishima, Okubo, and Sawamura…

To lie cold in the ground, stiff, and withering away from decay.

It should have been him, he should have been the one who had died. Instead, he was left here, alone, holding onto what used to be "yesterday".

But if he had been there, he still would have been too weak to save them.

The others were right, and for that, he had heard their words in his mouth again.

Even though he was no longer included in their missions, no longer considered to be an able body to serve on their team, more often than not, they kept finding their way into his head.

_"…He'll never be good enough, never be strong enough… Never rise above…"_

These were the lies that he had fought for, time and time again. And left him here, stuck with the key, as to figure out how he had ended up wearing these lies over his own words…

It always felt like one BIG mistake.

And Yusuke's jeers and cracks at him, about how he was so much better than he was, were not making him feel any better than he did. Gods, that dick could be so pretentious. Worst of all, he hung out with some of the most boring people that he had ever had the displeasure of knowing. The guy even mooches off of his own girlfriend, despite working at a noodle stand. He claims that he's supporting his mother, but she's still getting money from pimps. And get this, he says he loves Keiko, but he's always checking out other women and owns countless stacks of pornography. What a goddamn liar!

Kazuma was SO sick of him, so sick of his garbage. He didn't even bother to show up at the funerals, let alone turn up at the wakes.

And to make matters all the more interesting, it was Yusuke who had turned him over to the men in the white coats. Not Kurama. Not Hiei. And certainly not his family; though the latter mentioned here, came to him as a bit of a surprise.

…As though Kuwabara had bats in his belfry, when in truth he was being tormented by force that only he could see…

And the more he time he had spent with Yusuke- Correction, "The Hanyou", the more he had gotten to better know him, he had realized something…

The ginger haired psychic had an epiphany.

The only thing Kazuma had ever enjoyed, for what precious time he had spent with him, was when they were taking down bad guys and beating punks into the pavement.

Needless to say, the guy was a boring loser. And the only thing he good at was hurting other people, and picking people apart emotionally.

But then again, all the little details that were accumulating, running through the psychic's mind, was due to him having been furious with that jackass.

That bastard was the run of the mill, who possessed the fortune to be the pick of the litter. He was no different than those fuckfaced gypsies; which are bunch of socially retarded inbreds, who think that all because they have money and fame, that education matters not, and all the while holding fast onto self-produced illusions that they are somehow better than everyone else.

So, yeah. He was still a punk, alright.

A punk that had discarded him as though he was yesterday's news.

The demon had hurt him, badly, more than that asshat would ever know or realize.

He used to have faith him, had believed in him…

…But what good that had been seen there, in the Tourin Prince, was not enough.

Urameshi's heroics were so played out, just as his promises were.

The passion was lost. The trust was gone.

It's all in that chump's mind, Kazuma had realized that Yusuke will do what he wants to do.

Kuwabara had lost his way the moment that Yusuke had left home for the first time. Kuwabara had hoped that Yusuke could change his life, to make it better for not only himself, but also for everyone else whom he had claimed to care for.

He was supposed to be his best friend, his brother in arms.

And together, they were unambiguously recognized as "the laughing boys", because of the jokes and pranks which they had pulled together at school. But while Yusuke was known as "The King of Pranks", Kuwabara was identified as "The Clown Prince"; mostly because he had always managed to make "a fool" out of himself. Those were the untold chapters of their story.

The difference between a "prankster" and a "clown" is obvious. One wears make-up, the other does not. One achieves a good laugh, while the other is laughed upon. And one is also considered to be an insult, used as a slang term to define a "misfortunate nobody, who's purpose is to be nothing more than a joke".

People fear clowns, don't you know?

In most stories...take for an example, Stephen King's "It"...the boogieman IS a clown.

Clowns have every reason to become senseless killers. Their life and their job is not so wonderful.

But now that Yusuke was a demon, the dimwit had decided to become different, had changed his ways; like the reject who had suddenly became the popular kid.

And in the end, Yusuke's word had fell through. He was no longer there, not ever there.

He was never ever there.

Not for him.

And yet, he still kept on smiling whenever he managed to come across that jerk. The older man didn't even bother to say a word, not a single word. He didn't even acknowledge him. He just kept on walking as though he had never seen him in his life.

Kazuma couldn't take it anymore…

All of this pretending was catching up to him.

Yusuke had gotten his wish, he had succeeded in wearing him down.

Kuwabara had treated him the best he could. But now, he was tired and so damn angry with him.

Everyone always condones Urameshi's actions, but whenever Kuwabara did something intolerable, everyone berates and lashes out at him.

People are inclined to think that Kuwabara was blind to detail, that he was far too dim-witted to take notice of "things". They didn't think or believe that he would ever read into people, or even manage to take personal notes, let alone catch peculiar "things" from the side of his eye…

It's the little "things" that people skim over, skipping them without meaning to, and unconsciously putting themselves or whatever they were hiding at risk. People are not as meticulous as they ought to be.

Even Kurama had failed in keeping "things" from him. He may be able to retain one mean pokerface, to seem cool, calm, and kosher… But his eyes would betray him. Kuwabara could see well into his soul, see right through him, and know when he was up to no good.

The fox can be a heartless bastard at times, and wouldn't hesitate to lie to a person's face.

The fire demon had been distant and callous towards him, but he wasn't nearly as dishonest or conniving as the fox. The short and testy demon did what he believed needed to be done.

But the fox was not being so kind to him either, from what the psychic understood or could see…

Whilst in the clinic, Hiei had reminded him, vaguely, that he was not the only one enduring hard or difficult times.

Even after the incident when "the shrimp" had whipped his ass, Kazuma had concluded that the fire demon wasn't really all that bad of a person. At least he possessed an actual code of honor, one which he strictly abided by. But they still loved the fire demon more, that verity in itself was irrefutable.

Nevertheless, he still didn't understand as to had caused the sudden change, what the meaning was behind their behavior towards him…

What had he done to deserve to be cast away, to be deliberately thrown out from amongst their flock?

Nothing was what it used to be.

And he understood that, more so than anyone would give him credit for.

…To be thrown out into the oblique world, where the cold masses flourished, and where dreams crash and burn…

...to be cast out and neglected...

Every group has a black sheep; a person who didn't belong, and whom everyone considers to be a source of troublesome annoyance. However, the psychic had never before imagined, in all of his days knowing them, that it would turn out to be him, that he would be the wretched misfit that everyone was ashamed of…

They were ashamed to be around the psychic, to be seen with him.

And here is where the epiphany draws to a close…

Serving as The Mother of All Punch Lines:

He had finally realized that he did NOT need him. Kazuma needed him, like he needed a stick planted into his backside. He was better off without him.

It was like a veil had lifted from his eyes, for he felt as though he could see for the first time. Ever.

Yusuke was not going to change. And for the first time, Kuwabara could see him for who he really was.

If he had taken the chance of getting to know him better, Yusuke would be fully aware that Kazuma wasn't as forgiving of an individual; an image that he had been cut out for him, for mercy was solely reserved for the innocent. Quite frankly, there was another side to him that the hanyou was blind to, completely ignorant its existence. He had yet to encounter that other side, had yet to be acquainted with it up close and personal.

And yet, for some odd reason, Kuwabara still needed him, more than ever.

Gods, he was so pathetic. So despicable.

It was sickening, that without that bastard, he had no valid purpose in life. And he was lead to believe that, a message that had been delivered to him from all the heedless bashing, from all the unrestrained hurt he had received back in the day when they used to be partners. That no one else but them could tolerate a weird, worthless nothing like him, just as his family did.

He was a masochist, who was relishing in the infliction…

His own calamity; accepting his misfortune with a wide, Cheshire cat grin.

He was overcome by the self-induced pain, the increasing misery, and the partaking hatred.

He was awfully bitter and full of contempt. In fact, he was utterly mad, for having been driven beyond respect.

It was like a drug, his own sick and twisted way of getting high. His own suffering was his release, one that he found to be highly gratifying.

They were his "happy pill".

Being "The Clown" came with a price, he was addicted to his own punishments.

Still, deep down, he wanted to make Yusuke squirm; like a pig squealing as it drowns in its own blood. He desired nothing more than to turn everything around, on the detective, and make him experience precisely what he had. But most of all, he yearned to get inside his head, just as that jackass had inadvertently weaseled his way into his, and break him.

He didn't necessarily want to kill him, mind you. No, instead he wanted him to suffer. He wanted him to regret everything, everything that he was and everything that he had become. And most of all, he wanted the detective to rue the day for ever having been born.

He wanted to tear him apart emotionally, spiritually, and psychologically.

As for the others, in his sickened state of mind, he dreamed them to be casualties. That whoever was close to the hanyou, would be removed from the picture; the victims of his jealousy.

Vengeance, though numbing and bitter, would never taste so sweet.

To be Served up as a silent suffocation, a cure for all his ailments.

Kuwabara wasn't blind. He knew he had a problem. A BIG one.

Yusuke had not only fucked him over, but had also fucked up his mind.

In Kazuma's mind, there was a party going on and everyone was having a blast. Yes, he subjected himself to humoring his self, which enabled him to laugh along with them at their heartless jokes and clever one-liners.

Gods, he had to get away from him. He needed to stay away from him… For the sake of his own sanity.

Perhaps, he had received too many knocks to the head. His brain was damaged, and not in the other way. Instead of becoming dumb, he had become smarter… Much smarter. He was also becoming more clever, and more wiser.

But for what price? It was obvious to him that he was in need of therapy, but that goes without saying, for he had no intention to receive any.

He wasn't crazy. A bit off, possibly. But not crazy.

Furthermore, he wasn't stupid. He wasn't an idiot, a nincompoop, or whatever term is being used to describe a "mentally incapable individual". He was none of that.

He might be too bold for his own good, but that goes with the fact that he was definitely not a coward, and he was most certainly not a fool. Neither was he a chauvinistic brute, touching people in inappropriate places, even though he was obliged to admit to the fact of being a pervert…

…To him, honesty was key to keeping from being repugnant and despicable, for a life without integrity is to be with an atrophy…

If Yusuke had guarded his decisions better, he would have had chosen his actions more carefully… Hell, nothing would be as it was today, if he had.

But as the old saying goes: "What goes around, comes around."

_M-m-m-m..._

The death of his posse must have had triggered it. Before then, this rage had not been noticeable.

Perhaps. Perhaps. Perhaps.

Or was it because of something that he had overheard?

Something that Urameshi had said.

What was it again? He had been so unfortunate to overhear his big, fat mouth, to hear his voice bring such displeasure to his ears…

_"People die. It's a fact of life. It's Kuwabara's fault for losing his mind over it…"_

Oh, yes, that's precisely what he had said. And he had said it so indifferently, as though he couldn't possibly get any more passive than he was already noted for.

_"So, his prediction had been right, so what? It didn't change anything, wouldn't have anyway. He couldn't have saved them again, not like last time. And lets face it, those guys had a death warrant. A target tattoo on their foreheads, stating 'come and get me!'"_

There he went again. The punk was literally beckoning for trouble.

And his attitude, or cynicism, had been no different than the times when he was seen shooting the breeze. Though it was trademark, it was uncalled for.

No wonder why Kazuma was itching to get back at him, thirsting to take a big bite into that careless heart of that son-of-a-bitch.

The others may mitigated that punk's actions, but the psychic certainly was not. To do so, would further disgrace the ginger beyond the unfathomable.

Dammit. The detective's words and actions were deliberate!

Here's an analogy: People do not go for a walk because they "felt like it", they go for a walk because they "want to".

People always make excuses, even when they say they don't mean to.

One must understand the concept of "honor" and how to retain it. With honor, one cannot afford to be all too "merciful" or "forgiving". The very purpose or reason behind "honor", that when it has been besmirched, one must restore it properly back to its former glory, and by any means possible. That includes seeking "revenge", most certainly you can bet your money of that.

In principle, "honor" is the exact opposite of "forgiveness". When having honor, you don't readily forgive your enemies or any offender.

It wasn't a loose term to hereby use to make someone seem more "fancy" or more "noble".

Honor has a bloody record, for most historical wars were created for the sake of it. More than politics and religion combined. It was the leading cause behind all blood baths.

Honor came with a cost. A severe cost.

Why else would people hold a duel? For fun? Normal people do NOT engage in killing one another for kicks, they do it to protect their name and their beliefs.

And clearly, Kazuma's honor was at stake…

For what Yusuke had all said, the appropriate terminology being or classified as "insults", had certainly brought dishonor upon both his deceased brethren and unto him.

It was he, that Mazoku half-breed, who had called down the thunder.

Evidently, Yusuke had NO honor, or else he would have understood it better and what it means to possess it.

The psychic lived by the way of the sword.

Oh, but this circumstance was not finished yet, for Yusuke had so much more to say.

And it gets much worse…

_"Kuwabara should be grateful that it wasn't him."_ Yusuke had told his friends at the clinic, idiotically arguing with them outside the room's door, right where Kuwabara had been situated in. _"He should thank me for saving his ass, again! If I hadn't put him in the funny house, he wouldn't even be around to accuse me of shit. He can just get off my ass, I did my part. And don't give me that look, Keiko. You, too, three eyes. And especially you, Botan…_

_"What more does he want? To serve my dick to him on a bun? …It's obvious, the man's a freak. He's crazy. Out of his fucking gourd. He attacked the doctors who were trying to help him, screaming bloody murder at the top of his lungs, and for what reason?…_

_"I say we just leave him alone and forget that this whole thing had ever happened. I'm going home. I don't have the time or the hour to deal with this shit. For now on, he's on his own. So, deal with it!"_

Yusuke had written the psychic off, as though his violence was a sure sign of his insanity. And for some reason, as if anyone could be so superstitious and unrealistic, to believe that madness was contagious.

The half-breed had regarded him as though he was turning into Sensui… That he had become Sensui… That he was Sensui…

The Psychic was not treated as though he was a stranger, but an enemy, rather than him being a personal friend.

Kazuma had never felt so dizzy at that time, his head was spinning as his mind rapped over those words… His words.

...Got shot real down, down cold...and had received a kick below the belt...

...You don't kick a man when he's down, you just don't...it's unethical...

Yusuke might have been frustrated, and he surely was crude… But he had meant every word, every last, single word that had managed to fly right out of his vulgarized mouth. Unlike the fox, Yusuke had most certainly lacked all kinds of subtlety.

Nothing on this green earth can justify Urameshi's foul, cantankerous mood, nor his pomposity, not even the full description of his personality that was entailed in Spirit World's records. A person can be critically reckless and still find a way to be considerate.

The psychic had a dream once, no, more than thrice…

It was one of those reoccurring dreams..

_Where all four of them had lived in a world where evil comes without restraint, where pain is left time and time again like a tired stain, and where demons could be seen beneath everyone's skins._

_But instead of seeing their team combating against villains or world evil, emphatically, it was the other way around! And to boot, there was no team!_

_Urameshi was involved with the Mafioso, executing premeditated and organized illegalities, and was in cahoots with all the other crime lords. He was filthy stinking rich, living in the lap of luxury, appearing to be all clean cut and professional by wearing a white "monkey suit", and wore tons of expensive bling. He was an immature, arrogant smartass, and yet, he still managed to pull off class._

_Kurama was a professional thief, who had an eye for the rarest valuables. His full body suit was skin tight, fitting onto his figure like a glove. He also had a sex appeal, and would use it as a tool to achieve his means and desires._

_Hiei, on the other hand, was an assassin for hire. Technically speaking, he earned his cold, hard cash by pursuing targets and then killing them._

_But here was the real kicker…_

_Monsters like Younger Toguro and Ani were the heroes, the champions of justice. As for Sensui, he was the renowned district attorney. It was as traumatizing as it was extreme. But then again, villains are never born, they are made._

_On the contrary, Koenma was the law commissioner of the city. So, not everyone who was supposed to be a "good guy" in real life, had ended up playing the role as a "bad guy"._

_But the most appalling, outrageous detail of them all was not that._

_No._

_He himself, the psychic in these dreams, had always turned out to be a psychotic mass murderer; in other words, a homicidal maniac, who would often escape from the madhouse to reek horror across the entire populace._

_…Other criminals had to go through trials before being sent away, to serve time in penitentiary, but he wasn't. As an alternative, he was forced back into a padded cell, sporting a straitjacket instead of prison clothes…_

_He made everyone's life a miserable hell, including all of the other criminals. In effect, he caused people to live in utter fear and panic, for he was the epitome of chaos and terror._

_From what he could decipher in these dreams, where the visions of himself were faceless, he had once been a good, kind, and decent person. He was honorable and loyal to a fault, so much that he was constantly walked over, stepped upon as though he was a measly doormat to the public._

_In the dream, Urameshi had owned a multimillion business…_

_Botan was his secretary, whom he had often flirted with despite being married to Keiko._

_And the psychic had worked for him, too… Doing the most isolated and degrading job, by being both his personal and industrial accountant. He was practically his lawyer, but that was already saved for another, being that it was Kurama's day job._

_The psychic's career was backbreaking, demanding, and had left him with very little time to himself. He had no personal life whatsoever. All he had was stamping papers and organizing files. And by degrading, his boss would often talk down to him, speak behind his back, and make jests to his associates about how "useless", "unproductive", and "stupid" he was. Urameshi indulged himself in "the pastime" of making a complete mockery of him…_

_He always had to degrade himself for his own boss's amusement. It had pleased both his boss and his audience. He would purposely hurt himself for their entertainment and to make his boss look better. He had committed himself to making blunders, appearing pathetic and socially awkward._

_Hey, it had benefits. Well, sort of. It was the only way people would notice him, other than that he was the shadow in the room._

_And then his boss had the audacity to utter sugarcoated bullshit, just so that he could talk the psychic into pulling an "all nighter", working heedlessly for hours on end, and attending to all the company's affairs. Furthermore, the two had known each other since middle school and were supposed to be "the best of buddies". They had grown up together in the same crummy neighborhood._

_But somehow, down the road, his life had taken a turn for the worst. His destiny was ill-fated. _

_He had snapped._

_…He was believed to be dead… Who he was, that is, before he had been forced by Urameshi to attend a heist with his mob… Before then, he had not known the full scale of the company that he had been working for, slaving for, and that Urameshi was heavily involved with illegal dealings…_

_…After he had met his "demise", he had been erased from all existence… Urameshi had inside friends, ones that had removed the psychic's entire identity off of the face of the earth, so that he could cover his ass…_

_But in the end, the psychic had his own mass of goons to boss around, including his boys, whom assisted him in turning everyone else's world topsy-turvy._

_He has went from a law-abiding citizen to an anarchist, one who tries to throw the established order into a disarray...  
_

_But further on the downside, he had been swallowed up by madness. He was of thinking had become wayward. He had gone from a perfectly stable person by transforming into a loose cannon._

_He was a total monster. In his world, he made sure that everyone who wasn't already dead was fuck. And then he would kill them, too._

_He wasn't interested in money or jewels, or fame, he just wanted to watch as the city burned down to the ground… All the while making a point, that everyone was as ugly as he was, deep down. He was showing the world exactly what they were, making an example by living how they lived._

_Of course, he enjoyed making a spectacle of himself, since it fooled the people into believing that he was a complete dolt. _

_Why ruin something so good? If your enemy underestimates you, then you already have the upper-hand. So, parade around like a ninny. No one will take you seriously, that is, before it's too late.  
_

_He wasn't afraid of death, but so many were. They were cowards, all of them, especially when the time came for them to face death up close and personal._

_People were responsible for digging their own graves, for most of his targets were people held power over the public… People who enjoyed placing innocent people under their thumbs._

_…And for that, he had unleashed Armageddon upon the entire city, sending the citizens into a unmanageable frenzy…_

_His favorite and preferred weapons were knives, daggers, razors, scalpels, swords, and other "cutting" utensils. Anything that could cut, bite, or slice something part. He also had a sledgehammer, serving as an upgraded and more potentially dangerous version of his spirit flyswatter._

_But as the world used guns, so did he. And bombs, including lethal gas and explosives._

_He possessed a lot of dangerous toys, and powers, ones that he used in his favorite hobby… And his hobby was killing._

_Oh yeah, he was a real hit, especially with the law enforcers and the vigilantes. Hell, even the other criminals wanted to put him into a body bag._

_Even in the dream, Urameshi had been that street-brawling delinquent with a tough guy approach to everything. For Urameshi, being the renowned "King Pin", he had to be ruthless with his enemies…_

_But not in the way the psychic was, for you didn't have to be his enemy in order for him to kill you. Additionally, he would torture you before he did._

_It was not in Urameshi's character to do that, both in real life and in a nightmare. In fact, he generally despised people who take things too seriously, and in order for someone to break, they would have to be a serious minded person. But… Someone who doesn't want to bend away from their idealistic views on the world, which had been shaped by their optimism. Someone who doesn't want to see the world for what it truly is, unfeeling and wicked._

_The aftermath would never end. And it was his perverse way of erasing his own pain._

Those harrowing dreams were pretty abominable, but he had an unnerving feeling that his subconscious was telling him something…

That something within the psychic was stirring, gradually awakening from slumber. Something hidden. Something terrible. Something ugly.

…To cut a long story short, something was being revealed to him…

And this terrified Kazuma considerably, for he recalled what Sensui had told him. That the psychic was just like him, no different. He was a monster, the type who sought after the goal of making everyone suffer and, in the long run, become deader than a doornail.

The psychic's nerves were in a jumble just thinking about it. He was awfully rattled, upset and tense, so much so that his ears were hypersensitive to any and all kinds of sound.

He kept twitching out of edginess, rubbing his hands over his eyes in frustration, and his tongue slicing between his lips; to which where his teeth keep gnawing.

He didn't feel so righteous. Goodness didn't feel so great anymore, actually, it was beginning to feel awful. And the light of the day was beginning to put a strain on his eyes, which was probably an affect off of the interminable migraine; his head was pounding like a drum.

...Perhaps he should do himself a favor and lay off the sauce for awhile...besides, being drunk wasn't going to get him anywhere besides needing a liver transplant...

But something else was out there…

Something was testing him, tempting him…

…Trying to catching him at his worst, to see just how cruel he could be…

Whatever it was, it was out there, trying to find the reasons as to why it ought to snuff him out; like using the smoke from a fire to run the rodents out from hiding, just so the exterminator could find them.

He was being watched, he could sense them, feel their steely, static gaze upon him. It was an ominous feeling, a dreadful feeling, one which he found to be so overwhelming that he often became mind-boggling anxious.

Kazuma was trying to keep cool, but something or "some things" were committing total espionage on him, intruders invading upon his privacy. They were cross examining him; like bacteria on a Petri dish. Well, that's how it felt.

And judging by their presence, they were awfully negative. Their intentions were not good.

Between that and his so-called "friends", it was all purposely breaking him down to his denouement, to his end.

Blackened clouds were upon him, hovering above his head.

They were the gray clouds in rule, harboring over this vile and dejected cesspool of gloom, only to rain down more misfortune and despair rather than to provide a solvent for his dilemmas.

Life was trying to get the better of him, trying to make him crack under the pressure.

With great love and strenuous labor, it took so much from him. He was desperately fighting against his own anger and resentment, trying not to hearken unto the ill conceived visions that played in his mind.

Time is grueling when one feels so alone, especially when one's mind is fixated on the tragedies of the past.

The psychic was haunted by phantoms.

But this time, there was no one around who could really help him… To make them go away or disappear.

And they would make themselves known only to him, no one else…

Not even to his sister, for she didn't know that they were there. She did not even show that she had an inkling, or possessed a sense, a feeling that something was ultimately wrong.

Fortunately, Kiyoshi Mitarai had been there with him, had been there for him, talking him through every step he took. He wasn't psychic, but he tried his best to help him out. And unlike the others, he would gladly listen to him and not mind one single bit on setting aside other, more important matters to engage into a lengthy conversation with him.

He was the friend that he had needed, the shoulder that supported him.

Mitarai was a phone call away, and was a true friend for sticking by him through his most harsh and difficult time. He was a sensitive lad, sympathetic to Kazuma's pain, and he was also understanding. He was the only good companion that he had left. And through their discussions, Kazuma had discovered that the blonde's family were immigrants, originating from somewhere in America…

…It had explained perfectly as to why he appeared to be so different than the rest of the civilians, above all in the looks department…

…His mother was a pale Caucasian woman, while his father was a Japanese-American; who also happened to be part white.

He had also found out that Mitarai possessed a middle name, Gaelic and English in origins, which was Rory; meaning "red king".

Mitarai would often invite him over for tea, and sometimes for a meal. As for the blonde's parents, they were surprisingly pleasant; not snooty in the least. Though they were very proud of their son's recent achievements, they had not minded Kazuma's personal history. They were humble-minded people, despite their prosperity.

Back when his gang was still alive, Kazuma had taken him under his wing. Taught Kiyoshi how to fight, how to properly defend himself.

Kazuma had taken Mitarai in, when no one else would. The rest of the world had refused to, but not the psychic…. Because he wasn't like the world, he was much different.

In return, the younger man aided him in his studies, tutoring him through high school.

The boy was also gifted in the technical division, and knew how to sophisticate technology. He would also make a recommendable accountant.

In spite of all this, Kiyoshi's dream was to become an attorney, an advocate for victims. He wanted to aid the innocent, and in turn, achieve a deserved justice for the offenders. To bring down the criminals and the mendacious recriminators.

Shizuru was the only one who had known about him, mostly because she would often answer the phone whenever he would call.

Both Kiyoshi and him had went to the movies together. They had went multiple time to the arcade, played baseball, went bowling, swimming at the beach, had attended at two separate comic cons, and had even gone to a rock concert together.

Two years down the road from the Sensui incident, the blonde had discovered that his powers had uncannily returned to him; ever since the world had been saved, they had receded, disappeared, or had gone into dormant. Of course, he wasn't going to use them against people, for he no longer had a reason to. He had confided in Kazuma, and it was a secret between two men...

The two possessed an understanding of one another. Both were psychics in their own rights, both had endured similar pains, and both had been used by Sensui.

Out of everyone else, Kiyoshi had believed in him. He knew that Kazuma had not lost his mind.

He had been the one friend, the one who was most loyal and trustworthy, and true to a fault… Who had visited him as often as Shizuru did, when he had been forced to reside in that clinic. The younger gentleman had even stayed over the weekends, spending the night with him to keep him company.

Kazuma had told him to go home, that the clinic was no place for him to be. But Kiyoshi had kindly refused, stating that it was an honor to be by his side.

The others had failed to take notice of Mitarai, including his presence, and it had been no different when he had attended the funeral…

Particularly because he had hit a growth spurt on his way into maturity. The blonde now stood almost as tall as the ginger head, himself. In fact, he was approximately a few centimeters shorter in height. His face had also gotten longer, appearing more angular. Kiyoshi had lost most of his boyish appearance. And as for his wavy locks, he would often straighten with a flatiron, that is before slicking it back with some sort of tonic or gel.

He was a kinder, more mature, taller, blue eyed and blonde haired version of Urameshi.

But unlike Urameshi, Kiyoshi had become part of Kuwabara's family. He had succeeded in where the other had not.

However…

As of right now, currently, the psychic wanted everything to turn black. He wanted all of the colors, all the hues in every rainbow, to fade away.

He no longer believed in promises. He had entrusted Kiyoshi to never make one that he couldn't keep, made him swore…to never vow to anything he couldn't keep. For a man's word, is his bond.

But even then he didn't believe. He was on his way of losing his faith in people and in his beliefs.

For not only had his friends turned their backs to him, but also the very woman whom he had treasured and loved…

Similar to the carcasses six feet beneath him, she was never coming back. Never. Not to him, at least.

Funny, it didn't hurt as much as he thought it would.

But still, Kazuma was consumed by hopelessness.

The joke had been on him and he knew it. The world thrived on his desolation.

And he had been a fool to think that Yusuke's harsh words were terms of endearment. Yusuke had picked on him, relentless, not because he had loved him, but because he could.

Moreover, he had put his life on the line to protect his home, and had tried his best to keep this city clean. Maybe the others didn't care, but he did. Crime wasn't going to end itself, you know. And you would think people would respect him for that. But, oh how wrong that was.

Earth to the all chrome-domes out there. He didn't care about having a "bad boy" image. He just knew that, in order to survive in the big cruel world, he had to sometimes be tough. Sometimes, a person can rely upon others… But the only person you can truly count on is yourself. And he was the one that "the little guys" could certainly put their faith in, especially when they had no one else to turn to.

But as for their beloved "team leader", he was in over his head, thinking he could take on anybody by himself. He thinks that he's SO much better than everybody. Well, here's a news flash for you. The man had abandoned them. He was constantly leaving Human World to "find himself".

Gods, the half-breed got on Kuwabara's nerves! The man was literally grinding his last drop of patience, the very last one that he owned.

And get this... The guy wasn't even virtuous, nor was he charitable or "down-right neighborly". He sold certain "things" to his customers, selling them like hot-cakes because he was the biggest dealer or "come to guy" in the ghettos. And let's not forget, that if you use his name to save your ass or use it to commit a crime, you must fork over a percentage in cash; the way Urameshi saw it, he was providing people with "insurance"...

If the psychic had the nerve to do that, he would use it as a lure, just so that he could beat some good sense into these people. Of course, he wouldn't keep the money, wouldn't even dream of lining his pockets with it. That sort of lettuce is too dirty for his tastes.

YOU CAN'T BUY VIRTUE! ...And yet so many underhanded repeaters were allowed to buy their ticket to freedom...

He wanted to kick everyone SO HARD in the bum.

Bottom line, Kazuma HATED immorality.

But out of all of the sins that people would commit against one another, THE MOST, and primarily out of selfishness, was deception.

He hated liars the most. Slanderers, counterfeiters, subterfuge, hyperbole, distortion, forgeries, and every goddamn word that was connected to the definition of a "lie".

Even Heaven was a lie, it had to be.

And he despised lies.

…Maybe he had been the idiot all along, after all…

...He had been lying to himself, fighting hard to keep up this charade...

...They had betrayed him, had thrown him under the bus, talking behind his back...

...Those bastards wanted him out of the way...

...And worst of all, that lying sack of shit had used him...

If only this rain could grant his wish, to do him the favor of washing the colors away.

Along with the blushing floral petals that kissed the stony mounds, including the roses that he had placed there himself.

…Mitarai's mother owned a flower shop, so Kazuma considered himself fortunate for not having to bother Kurama for anything. He really didn't want to deal with the fox…

If he was dead, no doubt his enemies would visit him, but only to laugh and piss on his grave. As for the others, they would forget about him in no time.

The wind rustled, pirouetting about him as eerie whispers thronged near him. There was a cold and disquieting shift in the atmosphere, the temperature was dropping.

Kazuma's eyes narrowed, his nostrils flared.

Someone was here.

Then something caught his eye, he thought he saw something move in a distance behind nearby the Sakura trees.

_Whoever heard of trees being in a cemetery anyway? Did not the owners of the property consider that roots can penetrate through concrete volts? If not, they were in for one rude awakening, for there was a huge mess awaiting in the future._

_On a further note, graves were not like the used to be, since Christianity had been introduced and unbanned in the country. No one made miniature shrines for the dead anymore. Ancient traditions were no longer being kept and, in their place, everything was becoming westernized.  
_

When moving himself to take a better look, he carefully stepped beyond one of his buddy's final resting place.

At that moment, a peculiar black bird flew past him, as though to lead the way. It had been silently sitting in the tree, that whole duration of time since the psychic had arrived there, watching him carefully with those red eyes.

Usually, people take crows, ravens, or anything alike as an omen. But by this time in his life, Kazuma was beginning to find that most superstitions or "old wives-tales" were hoaxes designed by the fearful.

The bird had landed upon the shoulder of a statue, or what once was a statue.

A moment ago, the statue had been mythical creature, as one mentioned in Biblical texts. It had been of a beautiful lady, one with her bird-like wings sprawled out around her, and she was seen kneeling down, leaning forward against and alter of stone. Her face was perpetually frozen in either mourning or despair, some of her feather had fallen around her, lying on the ground, and her hands the edges of the alter... Her nails had dug into the alter itself, scratching the surface...

Kirishima's mother had told him that the statue represented a fallen angel, hence the fallen feathers. And that the reason why she was crying, was because she knew that there was no hope for her. She was damned for all eternity, doomed to forever walk in darkness. She mourns over the deceased, for they have the chance to receive salvation, unlike her and the rest of her kind.

But now, the statue was moving... And possessed profound color, no longer crafted from white marble.

Both her wings and her hair were a rich ebony, her skin dark in tone, and her garments were black.

Kazuma stared as he stood before her. He was hypnotized by the sight of her. As a matter of fact, he couldn't believe in what he was now seeing, for what had happened was logically and relatively impossible.

People often speak of miracles, even read in the newspapers, but in this case... Seeing her move, alive, bone cover with flesh and blood, like a living and breathing person...

Was freaky.

She looked up at him, her dark eyes were as real as his. When she raised herself up off the alter, pushing her arching body upward, her raven hair blew loosely in the wind.

Kazuma blushed, feeling his shyness creep up on him.

"There, there, child…" She said to him, addressing him in a calm tone; like a mother to her child. Her voice was harmonizing, as beautiful as she was beautiful. "Do not mourn for the dead."

Kazuma's jaw dropped. She could speak, too!

And for someone who had been out in this harsh weather, she was bone dry.

Gently, the angel smiled at him. "You wish to be away from here… But what's keeping you, Kazuma?"

The psychic was shocked, and it was seen across his countenance.

"How do you know my name?" He inquired, his brow folding in perplexity.

"Oh, I know more about you than your name." She answered.

A brief pause of silence passed between them. The black bird that was upon the alter, cocked its head at him, still busy studying him.

"Who are you?" The psychic asked politely. "If you don't mind me knowing, miss."

"I have many names… But the people here refer to me as Izanami." She informed, not at all bothered by the questions. "But no one else can see me, only you can."

When hearing that, Kazuma lowered his head. "I take it, it's my time to go?" He said, obviously referring to joining the legions of the dead.

He honestly believed that it had been his time, to have "bought the farm" so to speak. He may not be as smart as Kurama, but even an "insufferable dolt" like he had known full well as to who Izanami was. Although, he couldn't help but wonder as to what he had done to deserve to meet the likes of her. Not everyone gets escorted to the other side by the renowned "Goddess of Death".

And being oblivious at the time, he supposed that the wings were for show.

"No." She conveyed. "Not yet. But I will be following every step of the way, every path you cross, and every course you'll endure."

Kazuma looked up at her, and paled when she had informed him that. He didn't know whether to feel grateful, privileged, or...be utterly terrified.

Izanami knew what he was feeling and, like a mother, wanted to relieve him of his worries and fears. "How about you look upon me as your…fairy godmother, who's at last here to aid you in your most desperate time."

As she said this, she stood up and stretched her wings out. Her feathers rustled, the fibers rubbing against each other, which sounded like a stack of papers flipping gently on top of one another. The immense wings then, magically, divided into three separate pairs, before appearing translucent.

The sight had sent the psychic into a state of awe.

"Listen," She stated. "You are not a freak, nor a creep. What you've been through was terrible. Anyone who had half a mind, would feel the way you feel. You grew up from the saddest, loneliest little boy, into a miserable man who has been treated very unfairly, where his troubles follow him."

Kazuma remained silent, stricken and stunned by her words of wisdom and enlightenment. But what had really touched him, was that she was telling him the truth...

An undeniable and inescapable truth.

He had never been a happy person, not even during his childhood. Growing up, he had the insecurity of knowing that his parents had never wanted him. Maybe they had before, but somehow...he ended up being a mistake. Hell, before his teenage years, his room had been nothing more than a depressing, dark hole in the wall. And if it had not been for Shizuru, he would have had nothing to eat but scraps and "days old" leftovers.

He had always tried to love and respect them, but... As the years passed...

They remained so distant towards him.

Never gracing him a warm kiss on the cheek, never once tucking him into bed, or even embracing him whenever he would return home from school.

His mother wouldn't even look at him, including the times when she addressed him. She was like a butterfly, meaning that she had not expressed any feelings towards him.

He had ended up living a hollowed life. And to top it all off, both his father and his sister would beat the living crap out of him whenever he refused or failed to do what they had ordered him to do.

The ginger's heart ached whenever had to think about it.

His father would literally beat obedience into him when he was a child; which was his way of discipline, of "beating the evil" out of him, and to make him grow up into a REAL man.

That's why the psychic would constantly argue or fuss with other people upon matters that concerned as to whether or not he was "a real man", because his father had chiseled it into his brain, and that he could not afford to be anything less than that.

But as for the beatings...

The old man didn't merely do it over a few, considerably important things. No, he did it over everything that the psychic had done... He had even punished the boy for whistling indoors, and for making racket that he didn't want to hear. And there was hell to pay, when the man had found out that the boy was playing with his sister's doll, because...it was a little girl's toy.

He remembered one incident clearly...

That when he was little, his father had beaten him raw for having touched his belongings; the old man had scorched the living tar out the ginger's back and legs, with nothing more than the use of his leather belt.

After that, he was sent to his room, locked within without the promise of eating that day...

Later that night, Shizuru sneaked into his room, bringing with her a hot bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks.

He tried to eat it, but every time he would move his body, even so much as his hand... He was overwhelmed by severe pain. His father had twisted his little hands and fingers, springing them at the joints.

As Shizuru had watched him struggle to eat, she would demand him to keep quiet, or else they would both end up in serious trouble.

But the pain was SO crippling, it took every ounce of his strength to keep silent as tried to maneuver the eating utensils.

And then there was the fishing trip...

As an naive child, Kazuma had thought he was the luckiest boy on earth, because his father was taking him fishing. Little did he know, however, that is until later, that he wouldn't be fishing. Instead, his job was to watch the rods and the fishing lines. And on the trip, he had did a major no-no by messing in his father's tackle box. He wanted to impress his father, but asking what each lure was for...

Instead, the man scowled at him, his face red with rage. He wasn't pleased in the least, not at all, especially when he saw Kazuma holding one of HIS lures.

So, without warning, the man swooped in and ripped the lure right out from his grasp. In the process, the hook had broken through Kazuma's skin, slicing one of his palms open. And before Kazuma could manage to say "ouch", his father kicked him away from the tackle.

Kazuma had landed face down, right onto one of the planks in the rented, rickety boat. It had hurt so much.

All he wanted was for his father to love him, finally. But he knew better than to start crying. For the life of him, he didn't dare shed a tear.

"You deserve so much better than what has been given to you." Izanami continued. "You have been a prisoner, held captive by others' avarice. As I have said. I know all about you. I even know about how your family had shunned you, locking you inside that room against your will, hidden away, whilst they denied you of the best moments in childhood. Why, you lived the life of a vagabond. Burdened with errands in exchange for food and shelter. You tried to run away, didn't you? But at the time, you weren't allowed."

Kazuma sighed inwardly. He remembered that, too.

When he was no more than a little over twelve, he tried his hand at running away from home...

AT NIGHT, by sneaking out his room's window. Of course, he fell down and busted his ass. It put a nasty bruise there.

He had grabbed onto the basic needs in life...

A few measly cans of food, a can opener, peanut butter, and duffel-bag full of underwear, socks, and nothing else.

That was the biggest mistake he had ever made in his life.

One, he couldn't survive with just that. At least he had been smart enough to take a can opener, though he had forgotten to bring silverware.

Two, he had nowhere else to go. Hell, he didn't even have a planned destination, never mind the fact that he didn't know where he was going.

And three, he had foolishly ventured into territories that were marked by various gangs.

And man, were those punks MEAN. They didn't know him, and yet, they already hated him. Heck, he even ended up running for his life, being chased down the streets by killers with knives in their hands.

The very reason why Shizuru would later teach him to defend himself, was for the purpose of not wanting to keep protecting him.

But on the plus side, after that night, his family had decided to no longer keep him cooped up in their home. His parents had agreed to the fact that it wasn't healthy for him to always stay in his room, or in the house for that matter.

Still, that was the WORST night EVER.

Fortunately, a police officer had found him. And wouldn't you know it, the guy returned him back to his family, back to the people who hated his guts even more.

For all he knew, everybody HATED him.

Of course, the officer didn't buy a word he had said, thanks to his mom lying out her ass. She even had the audacity to say that Kazuma was a "troubled little boy" and that he "hadn't taken his medication yet". As if HE takes pills.

And then, after the officer had left, his father then proceeded to beat the shit out of him.

Even his sister wanted a piece of him. In fact, she wanted to put her shoe up his ass, for pulled something so stupid.

Kazuma had never been so mortified in his childhood...

...Too bad that wasn't the end of it...

...For down the road, he would suffer through much more embarrassment.

"It's only natural for people to forget others, especially when their lives going good for them." Said Izanami, who brought him back to reality and who, much to his surprise, was now standing beside him. She was taller than he was, by a lot. "When a person rises to fame or becomes popular, he'll forget those who were with him every step of the way."

Kazuma clouded up, his eyes dimming as his face contorted in searing grief.

"But I wouldn't!" He exclaimed hoarsely, his voice had became almost frog-like as his emotions overcame him. "I would never do that!"

One could hear his tears in his voice. He was now shaking from head to toe, and the muscles in his body were tense.

"Yes, I know." She agreed. "Because you are not like the rest of the world... Are you, my child?" She placed a gentle, reassuring hand upon his shoulder; to help put his mind at rest. "But you must understand, some people take advantage of other's kindness."

After calming back down, the psychic nodded.

"He treats me as though I am no longer good enough for him." He stated in a lower, more quiet tone. He was almost mumbling. "He's left me behind, in the dust. I was right, when I had said…" He lowered his head in shame. "Our journey together has drawn to a close."

The goddess tsked at him as she kindly tilted his head back up, with just a use of her finger tip.

For someone who was a "death deity", she was a lot kinder than most people.

"Look at you." She said. "You've thrown away your happiness, your dreams, in hopes of trying to save them. But, Kazuma, you must know that you cannot save those who do not wish to be saved. They are the root to your pain, child. And... In return for your tears, they've turned you into a clown, had made you out to be a 'fool' and nothing more. You are a mere shell of your former self. You shouldn't let people treat you like this."

Kazuma looked straight into her eyes. "...What else am I to do? That's all I'm ever good at."

"Do not head to their mendacity," She told him. "Especially the line of lies coming from that blithering, nitwitted charlatan. You're not incompetent, far from it. In fact, you are very special, more extraordinary than they could ever know or realize. Someday, you'll see what perfectly clear as to what I mean." She patted his head. "You need an elevated point of view, one that is as lofty as your Mother Moon's. ...Continue to think like you have been, and you'll make yourself sick."

The psychic stared in silence for a moment, mauling over her words, before heaving a prolong sigh.

On the spur of moment, the bird decided to fly onto his shoulder, perching there on him.

The bold move, on the bird's part, had caught Kazuma off-guard. Fortuitously for the bird, it hadn't lost its balance as the psychic jolted in his place.

And being that it was much closer, the psychic could see that it possessed three sets of eyes. Red, shining eyes.

Izanami smiled at the bird before petting its head.

"Out there," She spoke. She was talking to Kazuma, of course. "In this cruel, dim-lit world, someone loves you terribly. Would give his own life and limb just to see you smile."

On cue, the fowl seemed to squawk in approval. The sound that escaped its mouth was utterly weird. In fact, the noise was "alien".

And then, much to Kazuma's dismay, the crow, raven, whatever it was...began messing with his hair.

Kazuma silently prayed to the gods, hoping that the bird wasn't going to plan on making a nest with his ginger locks, and he certainly hoped that it wouldn't get any wise ideas to.

The goddess didn't seem to be concerned much.

"And along the way, you will make more friends, meet other people…" She said. "Who will cherish and love you for who you are."

She then grinned at the bird as it continued on making a mess out of his hair. Kazuma, on the other hand, was busy trying to tilt his head away from the beast. His attempts were, how do you say, unsuccessful?

"If you wish to know what has been watching you..." She said, catching his immediate attention. "Well, let's just say it's someone, someone very close to you, who has not been pleased in seeing how much you've been suffering. You've been feeling his anger..."

Kazuma furrowed his brow at her.

"But there's someone else..." She enlightened further. "Other people, who have been watching you, too. And he's been trying to keep them away from you."

"Who?" Kazuma asked, because he REALLY wanted to know.

"In time, you will know." She answered somberly. "Right now, I'm afraid that it's best that you do not. But know this, he's been protecting you from them. If he had not stepped in when he did, they would have done far much worse to you. ...He regrets not having saved your friends, for he knows how much they meant to you."

The psychic's face paled as his heart took a big plummeted into his bowls.

Why in the gods' names would anything want to put a hurting on him? Wasn't Yusuke a more likely target?

He had a funny feeling that something was hounding after him. He just didn't know how serious or grave the situation was.

And here he thought that these "evil things", these entities, were merely trifling with him.

Looks like he was wrong.

And then his mind turned to his friends, his brothers, his gang...and in a heartbeat he could remember...

...Their pain...their agony...the torture...

Images flooded his mind. His friends were screaming, calling out to him...as his nightmare came to life that night...

Seeing his friends like this, helpless to defend themselves, penetrated him deeply...through his heart, mind, and soul.

They had begged them, pleaded for them to stop...but it just kept coming...their cries fell upon deaf ears...

And their captors had relished in every single moment of it.

These monsters, these fiends who dared wear the humans as flesh suits, told them...that...

**...**

_"COM'ERE YOU LIL', WORTHLESS SACKS O' PUTRID MEAT! I'VE GOTTA PRESENT FOR YA! A...BIG...SHINY...knife..."_

_"Save your breath, because no one can hear you."_

_"Yer all alone an' done for! No one's comin' to save ya! No one wants to! People would rather save themselves than anybody else! They're just happy that they are not YOU at this moment!"_

_"Look at him squirm! He's such a pussy, this one is! Aren't ya, stretch? You're someone's bitch, that's what you are!"_

_"How much money you wanna bet...on how much the fat one will bleed? I wonder if the rest of him is just as pudgy."_

_"I say we cut'em up into pieces! Bit by bit! ...Slowly... And skin'em alive as we're at it." _

_"...You're not going to heaven, boys, I'm sorry to say... Or am I? HA HA HA HA HA- LOOK AT ME WHEN I'M TALKING TO YOU!"_

_"...Hey, toothless...yer face is bleedin'..."  
_

_"Lookit 'em! Lookit 'em! Eheeheeheehee! I think one of them's cryin'! Hahahahaheeheehee! KICK his ass again! This time, right in the BALLS! Then cut out his privates, too!"  
_

_"...You're just in the wrong place, at the wrong time... That's what happens..."_

_"...I want to hear their agony... I want to see them squirm... I want to see the light fade from their eyes..."_

_"You shoulda been more careful in who ya make friends with, kiddies... Cuz, lookit where it gotchya...yer dead meat.."  
_

**...**

His heart raced in his chest, his breath shallow, his head buzzing...

He was crucified by the resonance of latter-day, the voices that only he could hear, and of a day that was long gone.

Shuddering again, Kazuma tilted his head slowly backwards. Now, staring up at the heavens, the rain drops began to trace the contours of his face; forming small puddles beneath his eyes, before trailing their way down onto the earth.

He was beginning to convulse, his eyes drifting to the back of his head.

When the moment passed, he snapped out of it. Beside him, his hands formed into tight fists, so tight that his knuckles were the seen prevalence of his violence.

He breathed out his astriction, by unleashing a spectral gasp.

The goddess decided to pull him away from the subject, getting them both back on track. "Leave and marvelous things will happen, things that you had never dreamed could happen."

Puzzled by this, Kazuma blinked and looked at her. "Marvelous things?"

Izanami reached over and took hold of one of his hands, his left one. "Coursing through your body, through your fingertips, is magic. A power that your family has been keeping you from."

The psychic was shocked when hearing this.

Power coursing through his hands?

HE HAD MORE POWER?

First, they had kept him from experiencing the full joys that childhood could offer, then they had denied him of developing his own personality, purposely training- No, brainwashing him...

But this, too?

What else was his "family" keeping from him?

Be his luck, the next thing he'll find out is that he was adopted... Just as Shizuru had often teased him about.

Heck, "Kuwabara Kazuma" was probably not even his TRUE name.

"But there will be so many farewells," Izanami disclosed, after gently placing his hand back down beside him. "Many tears that must be shed before your journey ends, for it's only just begun. For a glory wish, there is much to sacrifice. Leave the past behind."

Kazuma looked at her, wondering at what she was getting at again.

Was she trying to make a proposition with him? If so...

Well, she should cease in beating around the bush and get to the point already.

But Kazuma wasn't rude, so he wasn't going to snap at her or anything. Besides, he barely even knew her.

Getting ornery with a strange, let alone a powerful deity, is not a very wise choice.

And upon another thing, she was a LADY.

But she was a strange lady. Extremely nice, but strange. She even had a funny accent whenever she spoke, one that he couldn't place.

"Go, Kazuma." She said. "Move out. Everything that has happened and everything that is, is because its supposed to. Your not destined to remain here."

The psychic frowned at the idea, worried that he would be making another wrong decision.

"But what's the outcome?" He breathed out, the question being towards more himself than her.

He looked down.

There was always a bloody outcome.

The bird brushed its beak tenderly against his cheek, as though it was showing sympathy for him.

"You'll never be miserable again." She answered for him. "And you are miserable, aren't you? You were never meant to be miserable, you know."

He slowly returned his gaze back to her.

Smiling, she reached back over, took her hand and brushed his hair out of his eyes. "Naturally, you must determine your coordinates and use triangulation to chart a direct route to where you wish to go."

"But in order for me to do that, miss," Kazuma pointed out. "I would need a compass, a pencil, and a map."

"Or, you could use this." She said, as a golden object appeared magically in the palm of her hand.

It looked like a pocket watch, a really bizarre one, with intricate designs carved into its golden shell.

"Take this, it will guide you to where you wish to go." She informed, handing it successfully to him. "And find anything you wish to find. But do not rely upon it all of the time, only when you need to… So your senses will develop. And the device will work for only one person, the one who it is suited for."

"How do you know it will work for me?" He asked.

"Oh, you'll see."

Now that it was in his hands, he could take a better look at the contraption. And he did.

Upon one side there was engraved a phoenix, which was encircled by a snake that was devouring its tail. But on the other side, was an image that appeared much like his birthmark.

Subconsciously, he took his right hand and touched the precise location that the mark was on; the lower side of his hip.

But when he had flipped it open by the press of a button, he saw that on the inside of the lid were words...

_**"THE BIRD OF HERMES IS MY NAME, EATING MY WINGS TO KEEP ME TAME"**_

Kazuma had no clue as to what the hell that meant. However, it somehow seemed familiar. In fact, too familiar for words.

Perhaps he had came across it in his books that contained literature on alchemy.

But then there was that feeling, in him, which was stirring again... Only much more than it had ever done before.

"Now, there is a man whom you must seek." She told him, patting him on the arm. "He will train you to becoming stronger. And improve your skills...in combat. The object in your hands will guide you to him."

She then stood back, now standing tall. With her grand height, she was practically overshadowing him.

Kazuma looked up at her, still unsure if he should decide to make such an incredibly big step like this, especially out of nowhere.

His family may or may not be pleased with him, if he did.

"Do not fret, child." She calmly assured, now gradually fading away before his eyes. "You have people watching over you. Abide in them as they abide in you. And remember, it cannot rain all the time, for it will have to end...eventually..."

And with those final words, she was gone.

With haste, Kazuma looked back over at where the statue had first been.

And to his surprise, everything had went back to what it once was. Not a single thing was out of place.

He began to question himself, about his sanity, and about whether or not what had transpired here had been real to start with.

But then, he realized what he held in his hand. He was still holding it, clutching it firmly in his hands.

It was a compass, but unlike any that he had ever seen.

The little device in the middle, behind the crystal glass, moved all on its own, spinning about; from a slow pace to becoming faster and faster. It had been perfectly still a moment ago.

The bird watched with him, squawking and fluttering its wings in excitement, as though it was pleased to see that it actually worked... That it was in THE RIGHT hands.

And that's when Kazuma had finally decided... That he could very well do this. He could leave, just as he had always wanted to.

He could escape from this hell, from this excruciating torment, and get far away as possible from the people who hurt him the most.

He will have to see Kiyoshi and tell him that he was leaving...

But first things first, he was going to place this doohickey under a test, by finding The Reikai Tantei and deliver Yusuke a piece of his mind.

Though he was aware that it was unwise to challenge him, he will not spare the detective the subtleties, for this had all gone on for way too long. He was through with mending the wounds between them. There was nothing left to save or salvage.

With his heart beating like a metronome, his teeth clenched, true grit began to topple the scales.

He was feeling mean, significantly, and not all too willing to be "clean", sweet, or nice. He was THE genuine article of "no more mister Nice Guy".

And yes, he had not forgotten all that they had done for him...

After all, they had pulled him up onto his feet, countless of times... But only to push him down again.

They were purposely tearing him apart, just to keep themselves happy. And because of them, he was now lost and left with nothing.

His "friends" had made him feeble by beating him down.

The newness had long since worn off, he was just the corpse of a "dull" boy; which was probably why they hadn't bothered with him in awhile...

They balked upon every matter that concerned the psychic.

He was backing out, no longer going to be a pawn to this, and no longer going to be a slave to this. He didn't want the stress anymore, of having to worry about being himself, or anyone else. He wanted to be free at last, to know how it feels to not have a care, not a concern in the world, and for once...not having to give a shit about anything whatsoever.

For once, just once, he wanted something to go right in his life.

These scars keep ripping open. If he chose to stay here, these people will be peeling the skin off of his bones...

But he had nothing else left to lose, though. All that was left of his center was a huge, gaping hole.

This was going to be the deep breath before the plunge.

...He was, at last, turning away.

**oOo**

_"I am not here_  
_I think I've never been here at all or ever will be_  
_I feel like a place_  
_Where no one goes anymore_  
_Why can't you see that everything's broken_  
_Why does it seem that my life's turned gray?_  
_I can't believe in anything sacred_  
_When I don't believe that I am real_

_It seems so bizarre_  
_But none of this matters_  
_Thoughts disappear, hope has died_  
_Now I am safe, nothing can hurt me here_  
_Why can't you see my need for forgiveness?_  
_The truth and the lies confused as one_  
_I can't believe in anything sacred_  
_When I don't believe in anything_

_I am alone_  
_Locked in my memories_  
_There's nowhere left for me to hide_  
_But I am not real_  
_I've made all I am with lies_  
_Why does it seem that everything's different?_  
_Why does it seem that only you are real?_  
_I don't believe in anything sacred_  
_So, why do I feel so damned alone?_

_I need someone to break the silence_  
_That's screaming in my head_  
_And in my soul"_

-Stabbing Westward; "Why"

**...TBC...**

* * *

**Author's Commentary:**

Oi. I thought I would never get the chance to write this. xD

But I am glad that I did and I hope that you are glad to read it. I wanted this "prelude" to be different than the last one. I don't think many people liked reading the last one, the one in the beginning of BOOK II.

But hey, Mitarai is finally mentioned in this one! AND YES. That means that he WILL be in THIS book. Among other things and in the future books. He will eventually become a reoccurring character in the story.

But anyway, to answer one of Saya's questions... You wanted to know what both his middle name and surname meant, right? Well, it's at the very beginning, before this chapter started. "Omen" means "faithful". "Haiden" means "heathen"; and it's an Irish name, too, which goes back to the last pagan ruler in Ireland. As for what you said about Yusuke and Enki, Saya... Well, I do recall mentioning something that King Yama had done. And as for "the nice ones always being the most dangerous"... YOU CAN BET YOUR MONEY MAKER ON THAT. And WHO's the nicest guy in YYH?

Well, thank you all for reading. Thanks goes out to both KM17 and Saya for reviewing.

Please review or leave a comment, folks. It really helps me, a lot. It helps keeps the fires of creativity going.


	61. 1

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Think you know vampires? Read this chapter and see if you can find some qualities that you know is associated with vampires and/or their behavior.

BTW, Seth "Omen-Heidhin" Erickson is how Seth's name is actually spelt.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**DIVINE ACT OF SATAN**

_"This world, such as it is, is not tolerable. Therefore I need the moon, or happiness, or immortality, I need something which is perhaps demented, but which is not of this world."_

-Caligula

**oOo**

After exiting the dinning room through the kitchen area, the alchemist began to ponder to himself.

It all began when he had paused to readjust the hooked-velvet straps upon his slippers…

He avoided wearing boots and other clothing with laces, cord, or rope; anything that needed or had to be tied up or entwined together. He couldn't keep something in a knot even if he wanted to, because he often found himself unraveling it…

Braids were fine, but knots had annoyed him astoundingly while he was growing up. They were such distracting nuisances. None of that has changed.

_"…1...2...3..."_ He mentally tallied each fasten upon each shoe.

Irei will need fresh blood every time when feeding; as Ref has informed him. Even though it went against his principles, he knew that IF she was to survive that he would have to forbear his own customs, depriving himself of his own dignity, and sufficiently provide.

He couldn't just allow her to starve. Irei was like a little sister to him, more so than an adopted offspring. And big brothers always protect their siblings, for it is their assigned duty to…

At least that is what he told himself, for that goes to say that, deep down, he was not solely convinced and reluctant to wholly accept that she was merely sibling figure. In his heart of hearts, she was his illegitimate daughter, despite the bold-faced actualization that neither she or he were biologically related in any way. Savoir-faire, his actions were relative to gallantry. And he was savvy enough to know that she would not fair well in this world alone.

His debonair showmanship and benign gesticulations were his pièce de résistance. He had always hated having his reputation sullied, especially by the riffraff put out by the hackneyed delinquents of his time. Authentically, he was a man of class, enjoying the exquisite and fashionable frivolities of life; tuned into the finer details in life. He might have been a "punk", but he was not a "brute" by any means.

Ref had finished the rest of the blood, before the substance could reach its coagulation stage. There was no fridge to keep the fluid cool, nor was there any battery powered technology to keep it fresh.

Unlike other species, Devils required blood…

And a pint of blood provided enough energy and nutrition that could sustain them for days, weeks possibly, at a time.

As a result, the little half-breed was, for better part, a lion's share of vitality. She was literally bouncing off the walls; like a kid who has consumed way too much sugar.

As for the psychic, himself, he was losing his appetite.

He had not intended to spit out Botan's cooking, and for that, he had regretted doing so; after all, doing such was utterly deplorable in behavior. Still, the sampling that he had tasted was, indeed, awful. Rancid. So, naturally, the remainder of the portion had been scraped right out the window, given to the birds; in other words, the natural world.

…The flavor was essentially similar to that of a rubber band's, and it wasn't so much the consistency as it was the quality of the sapidity. If one has ever chewed on a rubber band, then surely they would understand…

At least Botan didn't use garlic, for he lacked tolerance regarding that distasteful organism, the one that he regarded to be an utter poseur to the herbal community of Botany…

He wasn't allergic to the tubers, mind you, it was just… Well, plainly put, garlic offended him.

For starters, "the herb" gave off a pungent, foul aroma, one that was nearly impossible to get rid of. No soap, fragrance, or cleaning agent in this world could ever wash away or be rid of the terrible stench. In fact, the smell must fade away on its own, because masking the odor is a bad idea.

In his humble opinion, garlic's distinctive smell was far more foul than Asafetida; which is considered to be the most horrid smelling plant when burnt, though on a more comforting prospect, it was the most potent and most sufficient when banishing evil and negative energy from one's space.

Garlic was disgusting, especially when the adhesive-like juices stick to your fingers.

Just the thought of it disgusted him. The years of watching the hanyou cut and dice the cloves, placing them into his cooking…

Was rattling. And sometimes that bastard would purposely include it into the ingredients of his food, sneaking it in whenever the psychic's head was turned or when no one was paying attention.

Honestly, that jerk thought his tricks were so droll. The dick who wears his penis on his sleeves. Thankfully, Keiko was quite the troll, hounding him whenever he decided to pull something ridiculous out of his ass.

But now, he no longer cared about "The Mocking Bird", for his words no longer effected him. He was over him. It was over, all over. Nevertheless, he will never forget the things that douche bag had done, nor will he ever forgive him. …A man has his limits, and that especially went towards the half-witted bullshit that others put out.

Yusuke was just like his stepfather; an abusive, exploiting, presumptive blowhard.

Point proven, moving on…

The liquid substance upon the darker haired fighter's hands reminded the psychic of particular bodily juices or fluids or, better yet, a grody, offish white and yet clear discharge… The grimy liquid that oozes out of the crevices or orifices of every personal sanctum.

Gods, it was nauseating.

The taste, gods, it was vile!

…And it also gave him…as mortifying as it sounded…an "astringent" dose of heartburn and gas.

Then again, that was not the end of the trouble, just the warning signals of the repercussions for something more sinister in order…

The first stage or "phase one" of the excruciating experience of gastro-terror.

Phase two was when he would receive "Montezuma's Revenge", which sorely punished the inner moist walls of his back end something terrible. Believe him, it did more than loosen his bowels.

Most often, after swallowing the plant or "spice", his stomach would grumble, bloat, roll and churn; like an angry woman experiencing labor pangs. Bottom line to that, he couldn't digest garlic all too well.

Honestly, there should be a law out there that prohibits the use of that god-awful…whatever species of onion it was.

So, yes, he was pleased that the fairy possessed the better mind to not use garlic.

In the past, his teacher had scolded him whenever he would refuse to eat…

_"Ah yah! There's always time for food, young pupil!"_ The Ape-like deity would say. _"Food is fuel. You've already acquired your rest, but now is the time to store up energy. Training diligently is not enough to become the Dragon Warrior. You must exercise balance, and not just mentally speaking. Remember what I told you years ago. The Universe appointed you to take this task, and believe me, there are no mistakes."_

But this time was different, much different.

For some reason, his teacher had reserved his words and, instead, eyeballed him in absolute silence…

Well, "feasting eyes" were one of Sun's notable earmarks.

Kazuma was feeling under par, coming down with an inexplicable ailment.

There was a wavering pain in his chest, one that was as numb as a tooth ache. The recapitulating harmony that his heart played was irregular, the pulse beating in intervallic octaves.

His body temperature had also dropped considerably. When adding the symptoms all together, they were a clear-cut sign of low blood pressure or poor circulation.

Low blood pressure or hypotension is more deadly than hypertension, which is mostly impart to the dearth of breakthroughs in treating the disorder. Meaning, that there was very little that can be done to solve the predicament besides monitoring the body. You this a chance you could die from hypertension, but with hypotension you have more of a chance of kicking the bucket.

In brief, Kuwabara's body was on the course of failing him.

He was dying…slowly and agonizingly.

It would seem that The Universe was too cruel, too hardnosed to provide him a viable "escape" that was an equivalent to his rival's. No, death wasn't going to come quick and easy, nor will it shed some sympathy or supply relief.

…His rival had "gotten off" scot-free, alibi and all. The psychic didn't possess the same luck, however, for he was not going to have parole in this game called life. He knew more than he let off, mind you. His level of competence was much higher than what he allowed people to believe…

No easy doors. No way out.

Life wasn't fair.

Simply put, the slayer was being granted the full experience of what dying truly is.

And to top it all off, he sensed that his life was in danger, and that everything that he had once known was going to fall apart.

Was The Universe telling him something? The chilling answers to the questions that often crept upon the hairs of his neck?

Kiyoshi had cautioned him, that if he continued embarking on the negative path, that malady would nark him. Even Izanami had forewarned him.

So, it is with his weakened, fraught heart… That he knew he would be attending his own funeral.

No one misses a vagabond, so he doubted that anyone else would be there to deliver their last respects. Honestly, it was all fine and dandy with him, since he'd rather keep others at a reasonable distance.

…The farther they were from him, the safer they were…

Be it his own fault that he was so alone, he could rest assured knowing that he was to blame for his loneliness.

…However…

…Reficul was the first person who had ever, genuinely held him…

…And it felt…nice…different…special…warm…

**_"Love is the type of disease that spares neither the intelligent nor the idiotic."_** chimed Wolfric.

Kazuma's cheeks flared at the comment.

Love? Who was he kidding?

The psychic wasn't so sure if "love" actually existed, not anymore. As most scientists and psychologist believe, love is nothing more than an illusion induced by the chemicals in the brain.

Perhaps love was dead, just as God was dead.

Love doesn't bring people together, greed does.

He had been born into a world of emptiness, and he had been foolish to think or believe that he could live a life that was otherwise. He had imperceptible tattoos all over and across his soul…

The demon slayer was a professional killer. And he had murdered more demons than what was listed on Yusuke's track record. Heck, he had murdered an entire horde of the living dead.

…His enemies outnumbered him by a million to one, and most of them were waiting in the outskirts…looking for a way to get to him…

Depression was the initiator, the demon slayer was sure.

And it seemed that his depression was worsening as time passes by, leaving him behind.

He had been so depressed over the last five to six days, that he was killing himself and not meaning to. The source of his encumbrance had located him and he was none too delighted.

They disgusted him, every last one of them. They were the scourge of his being, the thorns in his side.

And they had some nerve to come here, looking for him as though they had nothing else better to do with their time. Coming here with grins on their fat, clammy faces, only to bring him more exasperation and grief. They had no intention of permitting him to assert a word edgewise, but he stood his ground well and neither of them had been too thrilled by his reaction.

…Like all vampires, he couldn't refrain from counting…and that most certainly included the wrongs committed by people…

They were the last thing he was looking for, not that he was ever inclined to look for them anyway.

He lived in a drab world, the dreamless dark lands, where there wasn't so much of a common "how-do-you-do?". In his world, there was eternal gloom…

Here, the skies were a timeless gray, caught within a twilight being surpass by the nighttime.

Everything was bleak, jaded, opaque anonymities. Black, faceless shapes trapped within a dull haze.

A dreary world persuaded by a dark veil of cataclysm, where darkness descends upon the rain swept land to wrap the world in night's black eternal.

Where his red door turns black. Where the photographs, representing memories, fade away. Where everything turns into ash…

Where everything burns away, and yet, nothing is truly dead.

Where he lies abandoned, a cast away, marooned for all eternity.

Here, all young men are blind, straying to destinations, destined to never come back. There were no illusions here, just tragedy and vehement decay; less you purchase a stairway to heaven, but the winding path will only steer your way back to hell.

He doubted that these fools could endure existing in his shadow, his territory, to follow his virulent sways as arabesque smoke burns behind him in silhouette flame.

His mind was a tomb, riddled with macabre visions. Melancholy was his curse, animosity his bane… His black bile.

Not all that glitters is gold, and that included his own spirit energy.

He was going to thwart them all, away from him, with his mind. A payment they must pay in full for having had thrown him away, and he wasn't about to forgive them. No, never. Not after what they had done to him, having treated him as though he was "no one".

Go back to the hedgerows, tracking on the delusional path to paradise, every last one of you.

But don't look back… Never look back… For your life depends upon it…

"Bum-fuck Egypt." conferred Ref, adding in his two cents after having stepped over to stand beside him.

The demon slayer turned his head, his brows low and in a flat line, his pupil's hooded. "Pardon?"

"That's where they should go." He answered in a sober-like quality. "Where the sodomites reign supreme and where no one can here you scream."

Ref's sense of humor was incredibly sick.

"That's disgusting!" Kazuma sputtered at the highbrowed suggestion. "You should keep shit like that to yourself, man." He added as he shifted his stature, now keenly peering through the other man. He was staring dead on, too.

Reficul unleashed a short burst of diabolical, depraved laughter. Technically, he guffawed.

The Devil probably thought that he would get a kick off of something as inconsequential as that. Or better yet, his intentions were, once again, to obtain something from the psychic…for the sake of his own demented vision of amusement.

Flustered, the psychic rubbed his hands down his face, dragging his fingertips on his skin.

The deity then turned to face him, turning his body completely around. "Don't get caught up in a memory, throw away old news. Allow fate to burn away the decay, and time heal the wounds."

Kazuma gave him a dumb look, as though he was trapped within a stupor.

Had this man been intruding upon his thoughts? Or was he that easy to read? Clearly, it was one or the other.

_"I know you like to play dumb,"_ Ref telepathically prodded him. _"But I know better than to fall for your little charade, woman."_

That's when the psychic glowered at him, insulted.

_"You cocky asshole."_ He shot back at him mentally, his eyes flashing with ire. _"I AM NOT A WOMAN."_

He exploded on that last bit, literally yelling in the other's head. In fact, he was fuming. His eyes were shooting sparks.

But Ref was not phased by either the remark or the eruption, not in the least, which made the ginger fairly nervous.

He didn't snap, he didn't bark, he didn't scowl… None of that.

Unlike ordinary people, Ref was the living contradiction. His brand of "normalcy" was not "normal" by any other standard out there.

Yusuke was a punk and bastard, but this son-of-a-gun was a fearless "godless heathen". The two were assholes, yes, but there was a strong differentiation between the two. Yusuke was "the common two-bit jerk" type that was sold by the dime, while Reficul was "the perfect definition of what is to be one"; who, in turn, would demonstrate a new level of "the art in asshole-ism".

Who's worse?

Kazuma tried to do the math…

Yusuke: The flaunting, gauntlet throwing "badass of the century"? Or Reficul: the blood-curdling, godless savage "who is beyond redemption"?

After comparing one with the other, Yusuke is a cad who stood under Ref's shadow. The Mazoku wasn't even a match for Hiei, though some fans would beg to differ.

Unlike Yusuke, Ref didn't continuously boast about how great he was, because it was a known fact. He had already been proven himself, though it had not been a conscious intention on his part to do so. Honestly, he could give a rat's ass about what anyone thought of him. He did not fight to bask in glory, he fought because he was enthralled by carnage, literally enjoying tearing his enemies apart. He bathed in his enemies' blood; like a kid joyfully wreaking havoc on a playground.

Here's an expound to further clarify these comparisons:

For an example: If they had all grown up together…

Life wouldn't have been that different, but still it would have been poles apart.

Hiei, for one, would have been the antisocial "goth" kid… Who seems utterly cold an heartless, but has a soft spot for his twin. He wouldn't be as bad as he seemed, though no one would mess with him.

Keiko and Kurama were the most likely individuals who would not be a smidge different in their characters.

However, there was doubt that Yusuke would have remained as the infamous delinquent. He would have still been a delinquent, nonetheless, but he would have to compete with the highest bidder…

Reficul, THE SCHOOL BULLY: The Living Terror of Society.

Reficul would have been a definite rule breaker, the scourge of all adult figures. As to whether or not he would skip classes, he would probably attend to simply drive his teachers up the walls. Purposely arriving late and entering in through the window just to spite them…

A number of things he would do: Chewing gum in class. His feet propped up on his desk instead of sitting properly. Carving profanities and defacing school property. Vandalizing other's possessions. Defecating or urinating into teacher's desks. Breaking and entering into other students' lockers. Placing dead animals and live bugs into students' bags. Giving people wedgies, swirlies, and wet-willies. Tearing paper out of notebooks to make spitballs, then use said spitballs against potential victims. Creating loud, disruptive noises. Smoking in non-smoking locations. Consuming alcoholic beverages in school. Assaulting others, including elders. Refusing to obey the dress code completely…

And instead of scowling at rivals, he would grin down at them; like a depraved butcher in a slaughterhouse.

…Being that he was the type who freely taunts and belittles his opponents…

He would live to scare the shit out of people, enjoying every millisecond of it. However, not be equip with shrewd bluffs, because he would be ruthless rattlesnake when dealing with other dickweeds. He would make them all regret for even having been born. In fact, most would be too terrified to mess with him.

He would be the kid who spent most of his time in dentition, let alone be sent juvenile school. Probably even arrested on numerous occasions. And eventually, he would have been expelled from all schools.

And be it the psychic's luck, his friend would have been fined for sexual harassment, all to which The Dark Prince would shamelessly commit upon him; let alone stalk him in his spare time…

So, Ref would not only be the king of pricks and freaks alike, but also a creep.

And people thought Yusuke was a "bad egg".

Reficul would have been the "Clyde Barrow" of their generation.

Kazuma had the suspicion that he was going to find out first hand as to what his friend was capable of. His own cruel gaze was going to bite him right in the ass, but in a means that no one will expect.

Maybe he was giving Ref too much credit, or worse… Not enough.

…The man possessed a massive ego, obviously, because he enjoyed exhibiting his tremendous powers; like Yusuke, he was arrogant…

That was terrifying. And what was even more terrifying was that, somehow, Kazuma felt as though he knew Ref a lot more than he personally believed.

But just as Ref had been studying him, Kazuma was analyzing him in return.

The psychic gulped as he clamp together his teeth together, his lips kissing as they waxed back his spittle.

Keiko had once loved a "bad boy", but Kazuma was falling for a "monster"…

Ref possessed the eyes of a "killer".

…But like the psychic, he didn't pointlessly commit murder…

Kazuma hated to admit it, but he was practically already smitten with him. "Love at first sight", Cupid was at it again.

He wanted to decline the invitation, fearful of his own hopes and imaginings.

He was confused, stuck within his hollow self. Like a dog that been beaten and left to die, he didn't know who to trust or if he could trust someone entirely ever again. All contact was emotionally draining.

Kazuma just wanted to run from his emotions, but he knew that he couldn't. However, his reasons were justifiable enough, considering the circumstances that he had been through.

He possessed wounds so deep, ones that could never go away. And after having to deal with his ex-teammates, he was aching to retreat back into "the hole" again.

He had been pretending for far too long, masking his own disappointments, that he no longer really knew himself; though his honesty had been "cutting"… And yet, Ref somehow knew him better than anyone else; so he had claimed.

Unknown to many, Sagittarius keeps a part of himself hidden from all eyes, never to reveal it to anyone. You should never doubt a Sagittarius' integrity for any unmerited reason, for that can make sparks fly; Sagittarians would rather be found dead than caught being hypocrites or liars…

No wonder why he was standing at life's door, waiting to invite Death right on in.

His number one SIN was faking a smile.

The ginger was ashamed of himself.

And being predominantly Capricorn and Libra didn't lesson the issue; they were amongst his strongest of influences in his astrological chart. Capricorn is fatalistic and grudging, while Libra weighs the conditions…

He was ALWAYS weighing everything on the scales, especially now, which had officially began just before he had reached maturity.

And with his pain amplified by a million times over, he was caught between in the rut of being honorable, the meanest contender, and a prima donna. He was a passionate soul with whichever itinerary he took, one who sought to do things his way.

The way Reficul looked at him, it became clear that he was stifling something. He had a glint in his eyes, his red orbs glowing in the darkness that shrouded his facial features, and his wolfish teeth and fangs exposed over his bottom lip; like a predator from the prehistoric era.

**_/I love your skin oh so white/_**

The dark god may possess a crooked smile, but his quirkiness and imperfections present him as an interesting character.

Kazuma shuttered, his stomach filled with fluttering butterflies.

**_/I love your touch cold as ice/_**

The Devil's gaze was an illicit euphoria all on its own, heightening the sexual tension and sensations between the two of them.

**_/And I love every single tear you cry/_**

Ref gestured his brows at him, indicating that he definitely wanted something. It would seem that he was proposing in a flirting manner. His relentless gaze frozen upon him and him alone.

Blushing, the psychic felt as though the man was undressing him with his eyes… Those sultry, orgasmic pools of fresh blood.

_**/I just love the way you're losing your life/**_

Then suddenly, before he could predict it, he was picked up and shoved backwards with great force. After the wind had literally been knocked out of him, he found himself pinned up against a wall.

"Enough wangsting." He heard, before realizing that he was staring face to face with the man responsible. "Take pride in yourself...and tell the world to go fuck itself."

The psychic hissed viciously at him, the whites in his eyes darkening as he became furious. Now offended, he was behaving similar to a cornered cat.

**_/Ohohohohoh my Baby, how beautiful you are/_**

The dark god smirked at him, amused by his mate's hostility and peevishness.

_**/Ohohohohoh my Darling, completely torn apart/**_

With his body, he pushed the psychic more firmly onto the wall; testing the waters.

**_/You're gone with the sin my Baby and beautiful you are_**  
**_So gone with the sin my Darling/_**

In response, Kazuma was taken aback by the violence and, in turn, had lost his nerve to fight back. Feeling the other man's groin pressured against his, he couldn't refrain from himself from gasping.

"I won't allow you to carry this burden, especially when it is uncalled for." Ref said as he pressed his thumb against the slayer's lips, tracing from the center to one corner. "It's unnecessary for you to continue on like this, meowing over old wounds."

The psychic's eyes widened at him, his orpiment orbs contracting.

**_/I adore the despair in your eyes/_**

Was this Ref's way of teaching him, getting him to grow balls of steel?

No.

Kazuma had a suspicion that it was something far more than that.

_**/I worship your lips once red as wine/**_

Reficul leaned in closer, their breath mingling together. His own lips were barely skimming the surface of the ginger's, while his nose lightly touched and brushed against smooth, pale skin.

"Don't throw your life away for their sakes, they're not worthy." He uttered breathlessly, his voice low and husky. "I can help you forget."

_**/I crave for your scent sending shivers down my spine/**_

Kazuma didn't know what to say, though he intuitively bunted his forehead against the other's in return; one of the feline's instinctive ways of expressing affection.

That's when their lips suddenly melded together, with Ref first claiming the other's mouth with his own in a bruising but fervent kiss.

**_/I just love the way you're running out of life/_**

At first, the psychic had immediately tensed up against him, his body trembling from the pint-up tension that had mounted between the two of them. His fingers were shaking like crazy, before he settled down and gripped the ebony haired man by the shoulders as he began to return the affection.

_**/Ohohohohoh my Baby, how beautiful you are/**_

With their eyes closed, they relied upon their other senses, both picking up their sweet tempo as they relished in tasting each other's flavors.

_**/Ohohohohoh my Darling, completely torn apart/**_

Ref swiftly moved his hands to grip his ass, continuing to hold the psychic up in a more supportive fashion.

**_/You're gone with the sin my Baby and beautiful you are/_**

This yielded the psychic, who permitted his body to take over. Starting with his legs, which straddled Ref's grinding hips. He also began kneading the taller man's shoulders.

**_/So gone with the sin my Darling/_**

Together in this humid friction, caught within each other's embrace, they had found their solace.

By nipping and biting, suckling the bottom lobe of fresh meat, the Dark Prince goaded his lover in furthering the experience.

With his face now completely flushed, Kazuma mewed like a kitten, all the while digging his sharp nails into his tormentor's shoulders. He was still way too shy, afraid that he might embarrass himself.

Reficul grunted and kissed his aficionado's sore lips. Silently, he was counting his blessings, more than pleased to share with his mate again... It had been ages since their last amative encounter with one another, centuries since they had made love.

**_/Ohohohohoh my Baby, how beautiful you are/_**

Though sex was not far from neither of their minds, their members pulsing with blood, this little adventure will have to come to an abrupt end.

_**/Ohohohohoh my Darling, completely torn apart/**_

Ref knew that his lover's health came first and, as much as he didn't like it, sex would have to wait.

Ah, but he was still going to enjoy this moment while it lasted.

**_/You're gone with the sin my Baby and beautiful you are/_**

By spearing his now forked tongue between their teeth, Ref silenced his lover's murmurs, purrs, and caterwauls. He could taste the other man's tongue against his own as heard his soft grunts. In return, he provided further stimulation, by sensually massaging the ginger's hind-cheeks with his strong hands.

**_/So gone with the sin my Darling/_**

Ref had purposely pierced his own inner lip's edge open, with his teeth, swishing his tongue to deliver tiny doses of his own strength. The evidence was seen trailing down his strong chin, forming ribbons of crimson.

His mate pressed against him moaned and shuddered. The ginger had not yet realized that the dark deity was feeding him, only that whatever was transacting between them tasted delectable. In fact, he couldn't get enough of him, with his own needs and impulses oppressing his common sense.

...Thanks to the blood, his stomach was at last beginning to settle...

**_/Ohohohohoh my Baby, how beautiful you are/_**

In the back of his own out-of-joint mentality, Kazuma was granting a sip of Ref's desires, nothing more.

_**/Ohohohohoh my Darling, completely torn apart/**_

Bucking his hips against the deity, the other's roughness and boisterous motion was throwing him into a sea of burning, throbbing ecstasy.

His breath was ragged, consumed by pleasure. He was panting between each devouring kiss, practically starving for affection. Growling acrimoniously in his throat as he dragged his sharp, long nails down the darker haired man's back. His talons literally clawed through the fabric, breaking through the surface of his true love's skin. And his toes curled within the slippers he wore.

He was swimming, feeling fire and cold.

**_/You're gone with the sin my Baby and beautiful you are/_**

Honestly, the psychic was not all there…and yet, very much was…

**_/So gone with the sin my Darling/_**

He was too wrapped up in the heat of the moment.

"You two should be ashamed of yourselves!" sounded a blaring, livid voice. "Doing that in public... Have you not any decency?"

The two angles had stopped almost immediately.

For a moment, Kazuma's body had frozen in place, namely when feeling a set of disapproving eyes.

His eyes snapped open, revealing that they had changed. They were solid black and ghoulish. His orpiment orbs were nothing more than tiny glints; like a speck of light seen in each eye.

His eyes were broad and his lips were painted in blood. Reality began to flood his mind.

Ref knew what was coming, he could see it in his mind...

Suddenly snapping out of it, and relying upon reflex alone, the psychic slapped the Dark Prince without thinking.

Ref was a well grounded, sturdy man. It would take more than a lot to knock him off of his feet. However, the ginger's force behind the blow was hard enough that it had turned his head sideways, the hand literally scalding the surface of the skin.

Botan covered her mouth, her eyes gaping at the scene.

It wasn't in Kuwabara's character to slap people. Punch, yes, but not slap.

Ref slowly turned his head to look back at him, the blood on his chin being soaked in through his skin. In less than ten seconds, the burning blemish on his face had completely disappeared; including the swelling or inflammation.

Kazuma stared at him, discombobulated and trying to catch his breath.

The dark deity's eyes shifted towards the fairy's direction. He growled threateningly at her, showing his teeth whilst his red hot orbs flared all the more intensely.

He wasn't pleased with the reaper's interruption.

"Last time I checked, this wasn't a public facility or premise." He snarled, his voice like low, rumbling thunder.

He was pissed off...with her! Because of her, his attempt to draw his mate's mind away past troubles had probably been foiled. For her sake, he sure hoped not.

He wanted Kazuma's mind to be far away from his trespassers, away from the people who had hurt him most, as much as possible.

Botan squeaked in fear, and being wise, she hastily ran for cover.

Hostile and heaving smoke through his nostrils, the dragon wanted to scalp her. He purposely shook the walls and floors to terrify her.

If she didn't like erotic displays of affection, then she should have known better than to participate in voyeurism. What the psychic and he had done was not an innocent interaction, if that was what she was looking for.

Kazuma touched his lips, his fingers smearing the congealing crimson down his chin. Knocked for six by his own actions, time seemed to stand still for him.

He had not realized that his heart had been racing, that is, until now. His heart was pounding within his head, loudly like jungle drums. Furthermore, his body had broken out in a sweat, his open pores turning into goosebumps...

Perspiration, the undeniable sign of sexual attraction and arousal.

A brief moment had passed before everything settled down...

Only to start right back up again.

After Ref had placed Kazuma steadily back onto the floor, the psychic tore away from him and began marching down the dark hall in a hurry.

Knowing that something was wrong, Ref stalked after him. He feared that his mate was trying to discard him, that he was going to close the doors again.

He didn't mean any harm, but apparently his darling had mistaken their first "meeting". He was beginning to regret his actions, which with him was a rare thing to come by...

His soul mate was the ONLY one who could make him sad and manage to effect him this way, nothing else. His mate was his world, his everything, and that was something he was not willing to lose...ever again.

...He wasn't about to let anything take him away. And he was in no mood for competition, so people BEWARE...

Their relationship was an Eternity and a Day and their love like poetry, it always has been...

Elegant yet brutal, frightening and overcoming like the darkness of night itself... These words defined their carnal passion.

The dark god reached out and took the psychic by the hand, quickly pulling this situation to a halt. "Where do you think you are going?"

The psychic's heart had almost stopped when his ears caught the concern in the other's voice. His face was still flushed, his cheeks rosy. He was SO embarrassed, so mortified, he was afraid to turn around and look at him.

Ref narrowed his eyes at him, reading him carefully as he waited for a response. He then gently squeezed Kazuma's hand, reassuring him that he had nothing to be ashamed of.

The psychic was at a quandary.

What was he supposed to say? That he enjoyed every single moment of it, from the first instant they had engaged in their lusty desires? That his friend's ministrations had melted his insides, turning him into a puddle of goop? That for once, something felt right and not so wrong?

That he, after all these years, finally felt complete?

What had transpired between them had felt so good, so wonderful, so liberating…

It was taking all of his will and every ounce of his strength to fight back his urges, to resist the feelings that were growing, increasing in his battered, a-fluttered heart.

**…TBC…**

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**Author's Comments:**

Sorry for the wait. Sorry for the terrible material in this chapter. I hurt my ankle bad this past week, in fact, I had fractured it. Very bad. I won't be writing for awhile until it heals.

"Wangst" is "whiny" and "angst" combined.

Review or comment if you like. Eh.

EDIT: I changed the song. The last one I had I thought was a bit too distasteful. Ref can be an ass, but he's more romantic than what he seems... This one, "Gone With The Sin" is by HIM. Don't like the band, well tough noogies.


	62. 2

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Think you know vampires? Read this chapter and see if you can find some qualities that you know is associated with vampires and/or their behavior.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

* * *

**PASSION'S KILLING FLOOR**

_The psychic was at a quandary._

_What was he supposed to say? That he enjoyed every single moment of it, from the first instant they had engaged in their lusty desires? That his friend's ministrations had melted his insides, turning him into a puddle of goop? That for once, something felt right and not so wrong?_

_That he, after all these years, finally felt complete?_

_What had transpired between them had felt so good, so wonderful, so liberating…_

_It was taking all of his will and every ounce of his strength to fight back his urges, to resist the feelings that were growing, increasing in his battered, a-fluttered heart._

If this was "the darkness" he had heard so much about, by purely judging by what he was experiencing… He wouldn't mind living here forever. Something he was not sure whether or not he should be ashamed of.

Gods, he almost "came" into his pants. A faint smell of sex was in the air, his throbbing arousal was at last simmering down. It was to no wonder, nonetheless, since Reficul had to be so loutish with his display of affection, so down and dirty…

If Botan had not interrupted a moment too soon, the man would have slithered one of his hands down into the psychic's pants, intending to unleash the python from its cage.

When the psychic had gave into an agonizing lust, virulently bucking and swaying against his friend's aggressively crashing hips; his body yearning for total violence and stabbing, breaking penetration...

...Masochist and Sadist united, at last joined together... Crawling, edging deeper and deeper into the throes of experiencing sheer torturous, unconscionable yet harmonious ecstasy, where all reason falls for the forever martyr...

Ref had even sent a raunchy, crude message, telepathically muttering _"ich will dich ficken"_...

...Translated from German: _"I want to fuck you"_...

...One would hope that he would use something more assuaging, but that's too much to ask from this inflamed, imprudent beast... Who was anything but subtle in motion, for his libido was strong, and never one to grace the ears with his wiles or to utter personal inclinations incoherently.

...To top it all off, the man was "free-balling" in those tight pants of his. And for what "free-balling" is, it literally means what it is, that he wasn't wearing any underwear. The psychic didn't see it, but he could sure as hell tell by FEELING it...

Mister "dark, tall drink of water" proved that he truly exercised grit; that is, indomitable determination.

And his sweet subduction was the rites of wickedness, beckoning the psychic's starved flesh to hither unto him and have a taste of his offerings that were appointed only for him... Encouraging the psychic to break the holy laws that bind him to this world and its false morality by engaging in profound lusts that are heavily frowned upon and enslaved, dilated passions... Eliciting debauched fantasies, to commit the ultimate taboos, to stride through flame and to cross the lines bordering the tumultuous route of psychopathy paved in orgasm.

Ref's personality was not for the faint of heart. He was more profane and scatological than Yusuke, more callous and pernicious than Yomi, more Machiavellian and perspicacious than Kurama, more deadly and cynical than Hiei, and was as "cut-throat" serious yet lackadaisical as Shizuru towards most circumstances; an interesting combination of personalities molded into one, and yet, he was unlike any other in particular. Moreover, he was a Prince; his lineage of royalty giving him more than just bragging rights and a definite right to be heard.

He was everything that the psychic feared, and yet, had always desperately craved for and wanted.

And by the same token, The Dark Prince was the only one who had ever shown true genuine loyalty and staunch interest in him. In fact, it was "love" that the god held for him, sheer devotion, and it was unconditional to a defect.

Everything that Ref held for him was legitimate, immaculate. The man worshiped him completely, setting him upon a pedestal as his only shining star, but the psychic chose to remain oblivious.

The psychic had suffered from many broken bones, gut-wrenching punches, damage to the flesh, and piercing agonies… But physical pain was an euphoria to him and quite often, in his own spare time, bathed his skin in the searing hot wax that he collected from his burning candles; the self induce infliction was a personal fetish of his. The reflection of his hidden desire for carnage, pain was his release; addicted to his own sorrow...

The dark spirits would often seek to bed with him, to participate in his self-mutilation, but he had learned how to keep them at bay. Nevertheless, their eyes would gleam, relishing in the sight as he purposely manipulated himself.

...After all these years, he had come to terms and had accepted their presence as part of ordinary life...

Everyone has their pleasures, including the shameful ones...

Likewise, the psychic possessed his own dark and terrible secrets.

He had always wondered what it felt like to be bitten, to experience the sensation of having another's teeth sink into his skin... To know what it is to be claimed, just as demons do to their beloved counterparts; he had heard so much about it from Kurama, by overhearing the discussions that the fox had held with the hanyou.

Though he was a "traditional" type of individual, he viewed fornication in separate view and, unlike Keiko, he really didn't want to hold out until his wedding night; he was not insistent upon that as she was. Still, he totally respected other's views and decisions on the matter.

But he was not, by any means, a man-whore; meaning that he doesn't have sex with people he dates until he knows for sure that they were going to stick around. He followed his heart, not his "love muscle".

Kazuma looked back at him, his breath hitching in his throat as he paused for a brief moment to rethink.

"I must retrieve what's necessary back at my apartment." He informed him, refusing to address the matter completely. "And go to the bank to draw out some of my savings."

His gaze was stone cold, as serious as the nails in a coffin.

He was covering up his emotions again, burying them back up alive in that hole.

By disregarding his own feelings, he was being disrespectful towards the one person who seemed to care...

The crime was on the lines of sacrilege.

The ginger was bent on protecting his thin-iced, troubled mind, which was much like a cracked black, ornate mirror and the dark goddess was bound to slip through in time.

Ref might have been "the darkest burning star", and yes he was considered widely as "the wicked one", but he was no fool. He knew his lover well enough to know that behind that strong, defensive persona was a delicate center.

He was no abdicator, however, meaning that he was never one to back down or take one standing. And he had the might of sky behind him, as well as the splendid myriad waves of crimson fury.

One bridge to cross, one bridge to burn. One way or another, he was going to get Kazuma to cease in competing against himself, and to break free from the human form that hosted his true self...

And set him upon his hands and knees, literally begging for what's coming to him. Smiting "denial" by the strokes of chemistry, bringing it to its final defeat as the psychic accepts all for who and what he is.

In regards to the psychic, everyone else was merely potential lovers, but none were as promising as this one "partner in crime".

"No." Ref's deep voice seemed to cause the walls to rumble. "You will remain here until your training is finished. Do you not remember the discussion we had?"

Kazuma's brow knotted in perplexity, trying to get behind to what the other was referring to.

"You've been fighting with the soul of your weapon, but not with the weapon itself physically. Which is why it has been nothing more than pure energy." Reficul prompted, jogging the ginger's memory. "You need to learn how to summon your weapon."

_"My weapon?"_ Kazuma rolled over, now thinking back to what Sensui had said. _"...I had almost forgotten..." _

"You may seem confident, but when time comes for you to face your flaws and fears your confidence falters…" Reficul revealed. "You become shy. You have a shyness that is criminally vulgar."

With his face becoming clouded, his eyes shooting daggers, and his nostrils flaring, it was apparent Kazuma felt as though it had been a verbal assault on his own person.

Ref chuckled darkly. "How delectable. Flaring your little, Baltic up-turned schnozzle at me."

Forming a fiendish smirk with his reptilian-like lips, his sensual yet shady eyes narrowing into smiles, Ref appeared utterly lascivious and more devious than a rapscallion.

Under his gaze, Kazuma became tense and, subconsciously, heat began to build up in his nether region as his muscles contracted, drawing his ass-cheeks together in a tight squeeze. His body remembered what it wanted, what HE wanted...

No one else had ever managed to do this to him before, not even Yukina... Not like this.

The Dark Prince made Yusuke's cheeky grin seem utterly juvenile.

The hanyou's demonism was the picture of a choir boy with his baby face in comparison with the Dark God's. His eyes were large and round, appearing almost innocent. His face being too round or full, for one...

He lacked the strong masculine features, of a strong chin, a long forehead, high cheekbones, and prominent nose; the very physical characteristics that Reficul possessed.

Yusuke appeared as an impish boy, forever stuck to wear his child-like features; never to grow up, never to mature. In fact, he was the picture of a tyrannizing little brat.

Kuwabara was never once afraid of the Toushin's dirty looks, the sometimes silent death glares. Not even Toguro and Sensui were afraid of him. In fact, no demon or worthy advisory was ever fearful of the darker haired delinquent. To them, his defiant stares, the coldness in his eyes, and his every glower…were a joke, something that was not hard to laugh at.

And yet, somehow, whenever the psychic's head was hot and heavy with revenge…

When his own darkness reared its ugly self around the corner, everyone's gaze revealed such horror and shock; appalled by what they had seen. Even a monster such as Ani had been taken back by him. Something dreadful was seen in the psychic's eyes whenever his buttons were ultimately pushed, when his blood began to boil beneath the surface.

Like Ref, Kazuma could pull off "scary" and do so with no trouble. He certainly knew how to send people running.

One major difference between the two of them, between the Mazoku and the psychic, was how they handled their tempers.

The dark haired detective had always freely expressed his disgruntlement; his exasperation and resentment, yelling and bemoaning about his troubles expressively, and kicking down whoever was unfortunate to be in his way. Sure, he sometimes kept to himself, and mostly out of stubbornness. But everything he felt was always written across his face, always there to be seen.

Yusuke was an open book. His ornery attitude was the only barrier that protected him. The man wasn't savage, unlike some females who visualize this false impression in their darkest wet dreams or fetid fantasies. It was plain and simple, really. The man was a jerk and a con-artist, who loved reveling in violence and picking on people. There were some nice qualities about him, too, but his attitude sucked eggs.

The ginger, however, was an entirely different story. He hid most of his feelings, guarding his emotions as he tried to control them; learning to better perfect the technique over the years. Others had tried their hardest to define him, especially the half-breed, but he was still a stranger to them all.

His temper was sometimes explosive, but most of the time it was implosive; the deadliest temper of all. Whenever he was about to explode, his dreams became violent, his mind darkening whenever his murderous nature revealed itself to surround his enemies. He was a force to be reckoned with, never to be taken lightly, but people were too blind to see the truth…

They refused to see what they were doing to him, where they were bringing him to. Unaware of what lurked and howled behind the walls of his mind. His dysfunction was always on everyone's mind, all ready and more than willing to pick him apart.

From enduring endless bouts of pain, from being under such exquisite suffering, and from being emotionally crucified, it was safe to say that he had a few screws loose. In a much looser term, he was "a bit off". Too much emotion had been confined for too long. They had broken him far too many times. So much, in fact, that if no one stops or curbs their behaviors towards him, and that if no one ceases in testing his resolve... The monster within himself would surely awaken, only then to tear down and ravage the walls that protect those who refused to "leave well enough alone", and impregnate them with his seething rage and hatred until their hearts explode and until they all go blind.

...Where had he gone wrong in his life? The song of his spirit, of what used to be "Lennon", had turned into "Manson"; from the merry, jaunty tune of "I am The Walrus" to "The Man That You Fear"...

In truth, both Yusuke and he were "animals", but the two were of different species...and one was secretly more dangerous than the other.

Besides Ref, Sensui was the only other person who seemed to be intrigued or laudatory towards the "evil eye" that the psychic would cast. And he was the only other person who had touched him in ways that no one else ever had, even though it had been forced against the psychic's will...

For that, somehow, he was not that bitter towards him. At least, not as much as he used to be.

Disgusting, yes, that he was more resentful towards Yusuke than his own rapist.

...Technically speaking, though he was still terrified to admit it, the psychic was just about on the same page as Sensui was; the two seeing the world through the same set of binoculars, just about...

Yusuke was always on the psychic's mind, haunting him night and day. So far, he had underwent a personal hell every day, tormented by every second of a minute that passed before him. He had never known what it meant to truly hate someone until Yusuke had betrayed him. He had panicked at the first moment when the hanyou had turned his back upon him; treachery doesn't settle well with him and neither does lying.

It was all taking it's toll on him...

...From rivals, to friendship, to best friends, to bitter enemies. But Yusuke was not alone in these crimes, for the Fox had committed the sins along with him. They had exploited him, taking advantage of his trust and, in turn, he loathed them both entirely for it.

But somehow the anger seemed much more deeply rooted than that. But that was something that was beyond his own comprehension, something that was out of his power to explain.

Concentrating on that, he desired nothing more than to finally summon his weapon's true form, wanting to impale the Mazoku swine with it "up where the sun doesn't shine"...for everything.

If what Sensui had said was true, Yusuke's anus would bleed for all the rest of eternity.

As for the Fox, only time will tell when HE will decide what to do with the likes of him. Nevertheless, the psychic imagined making a coat out of him, envisioning of literally flaying the hide off of the fox's body...while the fox was still breathing.

In fact, he wanted to skin both of their faces clean off and keep them as souvenirs, by removing the entire epidermis above the membrane that protects the muscles. This was the Old Turkish way of decapitation; not literally severing the head from the body, but confiscating the flesh upon the entire head itself.

It's detrimental to think like this, he knew...but...

Ugliness was within everyone, but people would laugh at the idea of the psychic actually having a cruel bone in his body.

And Kazuma deserved happiness just as much as everyone else does. He needed to be loved just as everybody else does.

He wondered if Sensui was "the heir" everyone was so sought on bringing down.

He doubted that, however, for that gut feeling was...again...telling him otherwise.

And all of that was all fine and dandy to think about, but he currently had other worries besides those...

Gravity was always there to bring him back to reality, from Jupiter to the moon and finally back to earth.

"Reficul I am in a pickle, a BIND." Kazuma retorted, his voice was just above a whisper; the infamous whisper-yelling that teachers sometimes use that scare the pants off students. "Since this whole mess has started, my life and welfare has been at stake."

He was not in the mood for Ref's perversion or any distraction whatsoever. He had been distracted for far too long.

"I had quit school, putting my education on hold." Kazuma further enlightened, doing his best to win this argument. "I resigned from work, and within less than fourteen days, I will no longer be receiving a pay check. I live in government housing, THE PROJECTS, for crying out loud. And even though the government helps me, it doesn't pay for everything. I'm going to lose everything… My mode of transportation, the roof over my head. Fuck, I'm going to be absolutely broke by the end of this month! And worse still, the bank pays my way into college! I'm going to have loan sharks hounding my ass from here to kingdom come! There is no free lunch and I'm going to end up homeless because of it. …I don't know what I'm going to do… I wasn't born rich and I have NOTHING to fall back on."

Mind you, everything that he had mentioned was undeniably true. He had conveyed the truth and nothing but. And for that, he had every reason to be worried or upset.

Reficul snorted. "That's not true… You have me."

After hearing that response, Kazuma could not help but to be surprised.

He had not expected Ref to be so insistent upon taking care of him. No one else had ever been. Hell, Shizuru had always regarded it as a painstaking chore, a nuisance that she wished she never had.

"I'll carry you every step of the way." Reficul added, which had paused the ginger to flush.

Suspecting something, the psychic wanted to pry the meaning behind his friend's words.

"What are you trying to say?" He inquired in a soft tone, stepping towards him as his now twinkling eyes fluttered during the question.

In his chest, he could feel his heart beating. His resolve, once again, weakening as anticipation began to taxi into taking flight.

"But of course, if you don't want summon your sword… I could always hand you mine." was Ref's reply, who held such a glint in his eyes, and his lips curling into a perverted grin.

Kazuma was livid, his eyes flashing with ire and disappointment; becoming petulant over the matter as he girdled up his loins, tightening the knot in his belt like hands pulling on the reins for a horse.

And in a heated state of fury, the ginger scoffed and stomped away, with his panties all jumbled and tied up in a knot.

"What is it you wanted me to say, Nemo?" Reficul crooned towards his direction, quite musically.

Kazuma paused in his step for a moment, his cheeks burning and his eyes almost bulging out of his skull. He had another astounding revelation just then.

Ref, when he spoke, he sounded like musical artists from E Nomine... However, when he SANG, his voice was almost entirely different.

...Never judge a man's ability to sing by the voice he speaks with...

Reficul's voice sounded profoundly similar, if not almost completely identical, to the infamous voice of Peter Steel. It was exceptionally deep, his dramatic baritone voice was as foreboding as it was arousing...

And yet, in some aspect, it was also similar to that of Fernando Ribeiro from "Moonspell".

To be truthful, it was nearly impossible to pinpoint or compare his voice to anyone else's, let alone it being a trivial pursuit on a person's behalf. No two people sounded alike...

...Doing so would be like comparing Kazuma's "what used to be" voice to Chuu's...

Recalling Ref's "death growls", the deadly noise that he would spew from his vocal chords whenever he snarled, they were also the best that psychic had ever heard so far; so guttural yet so coherent, and not small, shallow or weedy in any sort of way. Uttering in such a tone made him seem all the more sinister, all the more daunting; one that outweighs Dani Filth's iconic "unclean vocals" and those of Dimmu Borgir.

In short, he sounded like "The Devil" as to what many had imagined "The Devil" would sound like; of what voice such a beast would possess. To the average mortal it was terrifying, but Kazuma was not necessarily a "mortal" and neither was he "average".

The psychic would have almost swooned, if he was not so bent on throwing a conniption. "Don't call me that!"

Rerficul watched his soul-mate, observing the furious motion of his body as he marched away.

The ginger haired man was certainly one hell of a "feisty one", just as his true inner self had always been... As SHE had always been...

...And no one else but HE, The Dark God, knew how to truly bring this vehement display out of him, bringing the psychic closer to who he truly is...

Peeling away the scars and the scabs, the masks that conceal his identity, making him more "REAL" each time.

After storming away, the psychic found himself in the dojo. Not precisely where he had intended to be, but his feet had lead him there anyway.

What had transpired before, during the time of sexual tension, was by now almost a blur; like slipping in and out of a coma.

He could not figure out as to why he was so upset for, it wasn't like he was looking for a relationship. In fact, he wanted to avoid having one…

He thought that he had made it perfectly clear to himself that such a decision was precisely what he had wanted.

Evidently not.

And Ref knew how to get to him, knew how to get under his skin.

He looked at his hands, studying the many lines upon the palms. He was feeling cold again, his body now inhabiting a slight yet numbing chill; like experiencing the atmosphere of a morgue.

With the fingers of his left hand, he gently pressed them against his chest. There was a soreness there, an irritable ache that itched; like a scab over a deep, black repugnant wound.

He could not explain the phenomenon, for there was nothing there to be seen by the naked eye. And yet, there was energy bubbling, pooling beneath the surface.

First it was his back, now his chest. His back still ached, nonetheless, and felt incredibly strange.

Others would claim that he was off his hinges, that he was just imagining these things… But he could feel something was there, sensing that something extraordinary was going on.

Perhaps it was merely his nerves, his body responding to the tension that had been building up.

He wish he had his music, it always relaxed and calmed him. Eased his mind of the daily troubles, the relentless monotony that was his life, and to escape the world and its shit that bothered him.

"Nine Inch Nails", "Marilyn Manson", "Type O Negative", "The Misfits", "Alice In Chains", "Iron Maiden", "Black Sabbath", "Deftones", "Nirvana", and "The Prodigy" all sounded good right about now.

…He never liked "Nickelback", "Creed", and "Seether", so don't go there by bringing them up to him… For he'd tell you, straight up, that Nickelback is overrated and that the other two were for amateur listeners in The World of Rock. How Nickelback was defined as being "rock" rather than "country-rock", he will never know and not much less cared to…

...While others listened to "Savage Garden", he listened to "Stabbing Westward". While others listened to "Eminem", he listened to "Insane Clown Posse" and "Dark Lotus". While others listened to "Keith Urban", "Shania Twain", and "Faith Hill", he listened to "Deep Purple", "The Rolling Stones", "The Sex Pistols", "Motorhead", "Judas Priest", "Led Zeppelin", and "The Doors". And while others listened to "Justine Timberlake", "Britney Spears", "Beyonce", and other musical artists such as "Lady Gaga", he listened to "Killswitch Engage", "Five Finger Death Punch", "Godsmack", "Korn", "Lordi", and "Rob Zombie"...

He really enjoyed listening foreign music, and it helped that he understood the English language.

But he also enjoyed Japanese bands...

Japanese Heavy Metal Bands such as "Maximum The Hormone", "OZ", "Exist†Trace", "Deathgaze", "Crossfaith", "Deluhi", "Lynch", "Skywings", "Donnerschlag", "DI3SIRAE", "Sigh", "UnsraW", "Vomit Remnants", "XodiacK", "The Piass", "Metal Safari", "Galneryus", "Gallhammer", "Dir En Grey", and "Corrupted".

Violent, odious, dark, and gloomy tunes and lyrics were often his choice of release, a passive way to let some of the build-up loose. In short, it was his outlet.

Even he understood well enough that physical aggression wasn't the answer to every issue, unlike SOME people.

Judging by outward behavior and appearance, one would assume that he had calmed down over the years… But that was far from the truth.

"It is best that you listen to him, Kazuma." He heard Sun's voice.

Surprised to hear his name being said, the psychic immediately turned his head and quirked a brow in his direction.

Since when did his teacher decide to use his first name when addressing him, if his name at all?

For the first year that he had been here, his teacher would refer to him as "redhead" or "that redheaded ninny"… Whatever the name, it had always referred to the color of his curly mane.

After studying him for a moment, the psychic could hardly believe his own eyes.

The Chinese's gaze seemed so clear, so open, his pupils dilating and contracting, and the emotion was there to be seen.

For the first time, in what seemed so long, Sun Wukong was...sober.

Such a frightening yet mystifying panorama.

There was no doubt in the ginger's mind that something was up, that something had to be wrong.

"Master." Kazuma spoke faintly, uttering in a tone just above a whisper.

**...TBC...**

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**Author's Comments:**

Sorry for the wait... But here it is. More is to come. Don't know when I'll update, so stick in there. I am fighting my way onto getting to the good stuff.

I want to thank all who have reviewed. Thank you Saya, KM17, Browneyes21, and anyone else who I have forgotten to mention. I thank you all so very much, from the bottom of my heart.

Please review or leave a comment. I would like to know what you think.

EDIT:

Added more to the story.


	63. 3

**Disclaimer:** YuYu Hakusho is copyrighted and belongs to its creator, Togashi Yoshihiro.

**Author's Note:** Think you know vampires? Read this chapter and see if you can find some qualities that you know is associated with vampires and/or their behavior.

**Genre:** Supernatural, fantasy, humor, horror, and not so much general. It is also an AU, an "alternate Universe" for the setting.

**Rating:** Mature…for obvious reasons.

**Replies to Reviews:** Thanks KM17! I appreciate your review. Yes, even I think it's rather frightening. But Kazuma does have good reasons as to why he feels that way... If you can recall all of the previous chapters.

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**THE TAMING OF THE SHREW**

"Master." Kazuma spoke faintly, uttering in a tone just above a whisper.

The demon deity shook his head in return. "I am no longer Master Gong. In fact, from here on, he will be your instructor now. He can teach you much more than I can."

Upon hearing that, the psychic grimaced. Just thinking about having Reficul as his personal trainer made him feel so uncomfortable. Working with him would be no different than being taught by one's own husband or boyfriend, it felt that personal…

…Look at the life story of Genkai and Younger Toguro. They were sparring buddies, had trained with one another, and had competed on the same team. And look where that went…

That's why people in relationships work in separate departments if hired by the same employer.

The relationship between them might very well end up that way, or worse.

But why was he worried about that for?

Kazuma eyed him carefully.

"Master, are you sure about that?" He inquired out of suspicion and not of defiance.

"Please, I insist that you refer to me as Sun." His teacher promptly stated. "Speaking as one friend to another. My duty serving as your teacher is over. Now that I have revealed my true form," He went on to further enlighten. "I cannot summon a disguise for quite some time. My body needs rest from the use of magic that it has under gone for so many centuries. I will be returning to China, to the sacred birth lands of Kung Fu. Furthermore, it has come to my attention that I have overstayed my welcome in this land. I am no longer safe here."

This sudden newsflash was not what the psychic had wished to grace his ears. In effect, in the innermost part of himself, he wanted the deity to stay. Besides Shizuru, this spry associate of his was the only family that he genuinely had left. And the love that they had for one another, though significant in scale, was strictly platonic.

He was doleful over the matter, profoundly.

But Sun had his reasons for made this decision…

As trifling as it may seem, and though it went unstated, Ref was no run-of-the-mill brand of the "jealous boyfriend" archetype. Instead, he was "the big bad wolf", with his frightening stalker-like tendencies and his relentless willingness to kill anyone who stood in his way.

Sun was, more or less, compensating and not doing this for merely shits and giggles.

Kazuma's body faintly swayed upon the balls of his feet. "But…"

"But nothing." The deity balked, stopping the psychic short of bringing up any further questions. He then added in a snappish tone; "I cannot hold your hand forever."

Tilting his head downward, the psychic stared back at him with hooded eyes. His gaze portrayed much seriousness and, though he was browbeaten by the other's words, his expression was rather eerie… Haunted, if you will.

Was this all that he wanted to tell him? That he was resigning?

"You have been a worthy student and I am honored to call you pupil." Sun informed him, wanting bygones to be bygones. "Now, Dragon Warrior, train with him… And perhaps you will truly know the key secret behind being a true master, of not only fighting, but also of life and death." Upon mentioning this, his eyes possessed an alien twinkle. "Remember, it all lies within you. Do not deny who you are. Never deny. By doing so, you will have at last obtained inner peace."

There was such mischief in the deity's eyes, a characteristic that Kazuma had never before beheld since he had known him. Malice, yes. But not mischief.

Even so, Kazuma proceeded to give his respects. He folded his hands and bowed.

Sun Wukong bowed his head in return, before quietly stepping out of the room.

Kazuma stood there in silence, his mind reeling back to years that he had spent here.

Before they had became such good friends, his teacher was by far the strictest individual he had ever met…

_At first, his teacher didn't view him as being different than the rest. In fact, he came off as being cruel and pitiless, not caring once to even know his name. He plainly regarded the psychic as a number amongst the flock who sought hard to earn his training._

_"You will be challenged relentlessly until you will give up and bow your head to the teacher," was his first address to them. "Until you fully understand the meaning of respect, I refuse to waste my time with any of you. You are not to speak unless spoken to. Lower your ego and shut up, because only then you can hear the lesson. Now, is it too much to hope that any of you can speak Cantonese?"_

_Kazuma had been the one to answer him, which he felt had been utterly foolish on his part._

_"I didn't ask if you can speak Japanese or English…" Was the Master's rebuke. "I asked if you understand Cantonese? You are here to learn the mysteries of Kung Fu, not linguistics. If you cannot understand me, I will train you as I would a dog… When I yell, when I point, and when I beat you with my stick. If you have not given up by the first three months, you will have learned understanding the hard way."_

_For the first test, each contender had to yield their inner strength to break their fists literally through a wall of reinforced steel and concrete that was thirty-six and half inches thick. Many had tried and had given up, some didn't even manage to put so much as a crack in the obstacle, and most walked away with broken bones._

_For the first, long and grueling three months, he had to camp outside. He had no other choice but to learn how to construct his own makeshift shelter to protect himself; protection from boiling sun, the harsh rains, and the bitter nights._

_"For now, you will remain out here…" had been the precise words, ones that had been delivered straight from his teacher's mouth. "Breathe, sleep, acquire your own substance, and shit like dogs until you demonstrate that you are properly house broken. If you so much as snivel or complain, I will throw your weak, pathetic carcasses out onto your asses, off my property myself!"_

_To be clean, they had washed in the lake; the mountain's small reservoir that resided on the property. And they Collected water from the well to drink, to keep themselves from dehydration._

_And in the meantime, they had to accomplish the first challenge._

_Many weeks he had gone hungry, forced to fight his way up the food chain to earn residence at the temple. He had to learn how to survive on what was in the environment, having no choice but to live off on raw and still living worms, crickets, grasshoppers, and ants. A revolting diet that was difficult to swallow as it was to chew._

_And once he had proven himself worthy…_

_…After the others had forfeited and left in defeat… After having finally made the mighty wall succumb to the sheer force of his blow…_

_…He finally made it..._

_…Only to receive a small bowl of rice as the second reward; a meager taste of victory in this long and winding process._

_As Sun had often reminded him, that his purpose for being here was to learn Kung Fu, not to further harness his spirit energy or to learn spirit techniques; which he often referred to as "parlor tricks". And though the psychic was more than proficient in the ancient, exquisite art of the Samurai sword, such skills were nothing in the eyes of his teacher._

_After having mocked his answer, his teacher had hauled over the coals him and spat on his face._

_"Don't make me laugh!" He reproved bitterly, his hand waxing over his long, white beard. "Your so-called skills with the Samurai sword is only for Japanese imbeciles! Fools who know very little about combat and deserve to die! You think you can take me? I could so very easily destroy you at will. I may live here, but I despise all of you ridiculous Japs! You are all unclean filth with over-inflated egos! Now... Tell me your name, so that I may mark it on your grave."_

_Thinking back then, Kazuma wish he could say that he took no offense to that… But that would be lying._

_And upon seeing his reddened face, the contempt in his eyes, the teacher laughed and made sport of him for his own amusement._

_"Now, prepare to train like the bitch that you are. There will be NO short cuts. And if you are worthy enough, I will treat you like a person. Until then, you will not rest, sleep, eat, or even so much as take a piss without my say so. And to live under my roof, you WILL work. You will make yourself useful."_

_That statement had marked the very beginning of actual struggle._

_No more frolicking or frivolous behavior. No more trivialities. Only harsh labor, rigorous tasks and training._

_…Life was NOT a bowl of delicious cherries, at least from where the psychic was standing…_

_…He had stepped away from the bitter coldness, only to enter into a much colder and dismal world; both literally and figuratively…_

_Every morning he had to undertake a tiresome lap around the whole border of property, all the while carrying an entire bushel of logs that equaled the weight of three mature trees. Moreover, he had to chop the wood himself, with his fists._

_A month had passed before the task was upgraded to him carrying boulders strapped upon his back. It was a load he had to bare upon his shoulders, a method to teach him to comprehend fully what a "burden" really is…_

_And each month, the weight became heavier and heavier, more strenuous than he had ever imagined it would be._

_The madman that was his teacher had even went as far as strapping weights to his legs and around his ankles and wrists._

_His muscles were always aching. At times he feared his back would break. And at times, he was so close to caving in, but refused to give up._

_Along with his training regimen, The Martial Arts Master had also taught him a good day's worth of work, and all the better to teach him that nothing was for free._

_He had to clean the dishes until they were immaculate. He had to scrub the floors spotless, literally on his hands and knees with nothing more than a brush and bucket of water. He had to rid the temple of all specks of dust, less he face the wrath of feeling the end of his teacher's staff. He had to neatly cut the grass and the weeds down with a rusty old sickle, though somewhat sufficient, it was still no lawnmower. He had wash all of the fabrics, including the unmentionables. And finally, properly dispose of waste in the outdoor latrine._

_His teacher had credited him for doing such an outstanding job with cleaning, surprised that the psychic had done so well even on the first time. However, from the psychic's point of view, it was more or less like being Cinderella all over again._

_Besides having to climb upon steep terrains, trees, cliffs, and the mountain sides with no rope or harness to catch his fall…_

_He had to learn how to hunt and to fish with only the use of his own bare hands. No wire, no rod, nor a spear. He even had to learn on handling snakes, personally, and ward off predators. And in the midst of it all, he also somehow ended up eating scorpions, larvae, beetles, eels, swallow's nests, and reptiles; acquired tastes that were considered to be delicacies to his native land._

_He also had to learn how to start a fire and to make soap from animal lard and ashes._

_In the training room, or dojo, it was an entirely different story… Because the circumstances were much more harsh, detrimental, and gave very little time for assessments or contemplations._

_He had to learn balance, first hand, by first standing upon a beam, then a rope, then upon a single shaft of bamboo, and then had had to stand upon a ball._

_He had to continue doing this until he could stand on a single finger tip. And once that was accomplished, he had to use his teeth, biting down onto the end of the lofty bamboo, trying to retain a perfect balance six feet in the air…_

_…One false move or slip would cause the shoot to impale him through the back of the skull._

_He had to walk upon burning coals and walk through fire. He to literally leap through rings of flame. And he had to dodge every blast of fire and projectile that swung through the air to bash him into pieces, teaching him to better hone his reflexes and agility._

_He was even forced to learn yoga, performing the most difficult and painful of stances._

_He had to use everything at his disposal, including the walls._

_He had to catch arrows, blades, and anything that threatened to puncture or maim him._

_And then there were the more than sturdy battling dummies, which possessed many arms that were littered with sharp spikes and barbs. Each had three separate segments, which spun around whenever you hit one of them, and each was less than a foot apart from one another. One hit from them will not only put dents into you, but also take chunks of meat out of you. This taught him how to endure pain._

_Nevertheless, the end result of the progress was fulfilling... Sort of.. At least he once thought...  
_

_And all of this was only half the battle, for the Kung Fu Master had also been teaching him the skills first hand, alongside with how to properly channel his chi; the flow of energy throughout his entire body and soul..._

_"Kung Fu is not all about using fists, leave that to amateurs, for it is about using your entire body as a whole... And do not use your mind, become fluid like water. Be as passionate as fire, tame-less like wind, and sturdy like earth."_

_"But Master, Yusuke uses his fists."_

_"Who is this Yusuke? This fool that you speak of? Ppt! If you dare think to even now follow in his footsteps, give me one good reason why I should not impale you with my hand whilst you stand there and gut you like a fish? The path of a true warrior is humility, skill, and excellence! You must never let your head get the best of you, for self-doubt leads to self-destruction. But also, never once think of yourself as mightier than your foes. That in itself is humility. Destroy them if you must, but never permit your ego to govern you in combat. Be balanced, be level."_

_...When it comes to Kung Fu, his teacher had always meant business.  
_

_He had trained diligently to perfect these skills, working his ass off whether it be rain, snow, sleet, or sunshine. And training was not easy, for many times his teacher had brought him down onto his knees...until he was able to successfully perform more than adequate counterattacks and defensive actions._

_In the end, his teacher had successfully taught him every technique and maneuver that was needed to be known to be successful at the art. Three of the maneuvers that he was best at were "Dragon", "Tiger" and "Crane". He was also exceptionally good at blocking and performing __Resshūken; such as roundhouse kicks. His entire body was a lethal weapon...__  
_

_...Perhaps he should listen to his previous Master, by not relying upon his sword to do his dirty work all of the time. When fighting against "the ghouls", such tactics had proven to be almost useless. For one, he was not quick enough to thwart or shake them and, in turn, had been injured by one of "the freak vampires". He could have easily died that night. _

_For some reason, dead people were a lot faster, more brisk than they were previously when they were alive.  
_

After reminiscing about his past trials and tribulations, Kazuma could only wonder what it was going to be like being trained by Reficul, let alone imagine what his experience was going to be.

Somehow, he had an unsettling feeling that it was going to be much worse than he could ever dream.

The suspense was getting to him. In fact, the anticipation was absolutely murderous.

Upon hearing the heavy, thudding footsteps, the nails in the wood trembling, and the boards creaking, Kazuma knew that his presence was just around the corner.

**...TBC...**

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**Author's Commentary: **

Sorry for the editing and adding to the last chapter... But I wanted to get that out of the way.

As for this chapter, since Sun is resigning from being Kazuma's teacher... I wanted to capture a little bit of what Kazuma had been through, before getting his NEW coach. *laughs evilly* I am sadly amused by the idea of it.

Stay tuned for more.

Thank you all for reading. Please review or leave a comment.


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